As an artist using my hands is very important to me. Using our hands is very important to everyone, but we often don't give it much thought, our hands are just there and they just do what we want them to.
But what if they start screaming with pain all of a sudden?
My hands have experienced numbness, pins and needles over the years, usually caused by nerve blockages while sleeping. Also going numb whilst holding pots of dye, while I painted clothing, or even driving the car. I even stopped crocheting for a whole year once, thinking it was the cause. Later I discovered it was the way I held my head and neck, creating tense blockages in my neck muscles, restricting the energetic flow of my nerves.
I've had pinched nerves in my neck twice in one year, causing immense pain. But, I had never felt sudden, burning pain at the base of my hand, when reaching for something. I began learning about my Capal Tunnel.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a common neurological disorder that occurs when the median nerve, which runs from your forearm into the palm of the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve and the tendons that bend the fingers pass through the carpal tunnel—a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand. The median nerve provides feeling to the thumb, index, and middle finger, and part of the ring finger (but not the little finger). It also controls some small muscles at the base of the thumb.
When my carpal tunnel became inflamed, I got quite worried, would that mean the end of my artistic life?
I told me Kinesiologist/chiropractor, my acupuncturist and mentioned it to someone my mother went to for Scar Tissue work, who gave me the first advice. An exercise to perform before work or whenever I felt the need.
Gently squeeze the two indents on each side of wrist joint three times, then form a fist, squeezing gently, three times, to set the motion.
My Kinesiologist Laurie, suggested taping my thumb in-toward my palm gently, but firmly. I had bought some stretchy 'co-adhesive' tape accidentally once, thinking it was Sports Tape. (It was the same blue colour, duh). But it was exactly what I needed now. Being stretchy meant I could wrap it around my hand with thumb secured in my palm and take it off, or put back on whenever I needed. Some days I kept wearing it throughout the day, sometimes just at night. Often I started wearing during the day, and for awhile I wore it nearly continuously, as it really helped alleviate the pain when I stretched my arm. It also helps remind me not to use that hand except when really needed, giving it rest.
Using these tools and practices, as well as frequently massaging the area with Miracle Gel and my entire arm with my homemade anti-inflammatory Bush Rub, following the tightness and pain in each muscle group; my carpal tunnel pains subsided almost completely. I just feel a slight sensation of burning around the tunnel, nothing compared to the screaming pain. But the inflammation was still there.
I mentioned it to my acupuncturist Jonathon, again recently and he said he hadn't been treating it specifically, (he'd done something, but maybe not specific, as he'd been focusing on something else.) Anyway that day he placed 4 needles around my thumb/wrist on both hands; I nearly told him "just the left', but restrained myself. The right side had had only minor discomfort. But I thought maybe both sides will assist.
Afterwards later that night, I felt the mild pain sensations with a slight increase to the normal background humm pain, The right hand also felt inflamed. This is normal for me after a treatment, I often feel slightly worse, as the treatment activates and then eases the symptom, ? weird, I know.
I'll continue using my Bush Rub and get some more Miracle Gell as the ingredients : Ash of Dedecyl solution – Calcium – Potassium – Magnesium seem to go in and provide immeadiate relief. I massage it from lower palm down across my wrist, feeling the nerves tingle. I work it into my thumb, and all my fingers and hand. Being in a gell form, is excellent as it will sit long enough to massage where needed, the dry once dispersed to nearby areas, so your whole hand benefits.
Please click on the photos and Links (undelined) for more information and leave any questions in the comments. I do make and sell small tubs of my Kunzea Bush Rub, the East Coast version of the Irmangka irmangka Bush Rub from Central Australia. I learnt about it and how to make it from my friend senior Elder Nyalu Napanganka Patterson. We both have need to use it's many properties. It's my all-purpose balm. So let me know if you'd like to try it. I'll write up a post about it soon.
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