If you want help with carpal tunnel syndrome you should know there's no quick way to get rid of the pain or numbness in your fingers and hand. It took years for you to get this disorder, and it won't disappear overnight. But the good news is there are several ways to permanently eliminate carpal tunnel which require just a few weeks of therapy.

If you follow these instructions, carpal tunnel symptoms will normally disappear in 4-8 weeks (depending on how severe your symptoms are right now). The 4 key steps you need to follow are listed below.

Each step described below has the same, simple goal: to decrease inflammation and swelling inside your wrist joint. This swelling is the root cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. Therefore, if you eliminate the swelling then yo eliminate the disorder.

Actually, these 4 steps are no secrets to therapists. They have been using these identical techniques for years to treat carpal tunnel without the need for surgery.

The 4 steps below also have a 97% rate of effectiveness. So if you want help with carpal tunnel syndrome, get started today.

They're called B.R.E.M. which stands for Brace, Rest, Exercise, Massage. Use it as follows:

1. Perform each step below.
2. Don't skip any of the steps.
3. Do them for at least 4 weeks or until symptoms disappear completely.

When we sleep, we unconsciously bend our hand backwards. This puts pressure on the median nerve. And that's very bad if you have carpal tunnel syndrome. But a carpal tunnel night brace will keep your hand in a neutral position (i.e.,  flat). That position minimizes pressure on the nerve and helps it heal.

There are 2 cautions with wrist bracing if you have carpal tunnel:

1. Only wear a certified carpal tunnel brace. Never wear a generic (pharmacy) brace like those sold at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, etc. That's because those braces contain a palmar spine (see image below). That's a metal spine on the palm side of the brace. If the brace has a stiff spine there, it will push into your wrist joint. That exerts pressure on the median nerve, causing more damage. So remove that spine!
   
   
2. Never wear a wrist brace while you work. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, your hand is already stressed and injured. Wearing a brace while it's working only makes you subconsciously fight the brace while also working. This further stresses the joint. You're far better off simply allowing your wrist to move freely, even though it may bother you.

There are 7 ways your hand can become stressed and strained. Some of these may occur without your even realizing it. These are listed below, with examples:

1. Rapid and repetitive motion (keyboarding)
2. Grasping repeatedly and forcefully, and then releasing (chopping)
3. Forcefully bending your hand (bowling)
4. Grasping and releasing repeatedly (brushing hair)
5. Maintaining a bent wrist (moving furniture)
6. Twisting your wrist & hand (screwdriver)
7. Pinching forcefully and repeatedly (knitting)

Resting your hand from these stresses on a periodic basis goes a long way to restoring it's health. "Rest" actually means two separate things.

1. Take frequent rest breaks. This means taking short "mini-breaks" to rest your hand. The amount of rest time you need, and the frequency of your breaks, depends on how vigorous you stress your hand during work.
   
   
2. Avoid stressful hand activity. You can do this by switching hands to do a particular job. Or else change your stance, angle or arm position to relieve certain muscles. Finally, it may be possible to protect your hands with cushioned gloves.

Therapists have long known about 4 "core stretching exercises" that help with carpal tunnel syndrome. They're important because they:

1. Lubricate flexor tendons
   
2. Loosen adhesions on the flexor tendons

These results are the key to reducing tendon swelling and eliminating carpal tunnel for good. And it's why these stretching exercises are so effective against carpal tunnel.

Note: These exercises are described in greater detail at this link.

It's important to do these 4 stretching exercises at least every hour that you work:

1. Prayer Stretch: This maneuver treats the entire length of your flexor tendons.
   
   
2. Stop Stretch: The wrist joint benefits the most with this maneuver.
   
   
3. Finger Interlace Stretch: This is like the Stop Stretch above. But it also stretches the finger muscles (lumbricals).
   
   
4. Thumb Stretch: Since the thumb is the most affected finger in carpal tunnel, this separate stretch is crucial.

The most aggressive way to get help with carpal tunnel syndrome is using massage. But not just any massage will work.

Myofascial release massage is a special type of deep tissue massage. It kneads and twists tendons and fascia beneath the skin.

This kneading motion breaks up adhesions that formed on the flexor tendons. They cause inflammation and swelling. Removing them reduces swelling and then eliminates carpal tunnel syndrome.

Myofascial release massage also has two other key effects on the interior of the wrist joint:

1. The message action drains built-up fluid from your wrist joint. The fluid pressure is actually what exerts pressure on the median nerve, causing carpal tunnel symptoms.
   
   
2. Blood circulation increases with myofascial release massage. Good blood flow is necessary for the healing process. So as the adhesions are removed, they are replaced with healthy tissue that's nourished by freshly oxygenated blood.

The only negative aspect of myofascial release massage is that it must be performed every day for a month to see good results. And having a therapist do it for that long can be expensive.

Over 97% of patients seeking help with carpal tunnel syndrome have very satisfactory results using the B.R.E.M. methods described here. Restoring your hand can take from 4 weeks (for mild symptoms) or up to 6-8 weeks for severe symptoms.

Your success relies on you commitment. If you apply the B.R.E.M. methods daily, you'll see great changes. But if you skip days or skip one of the methods, you can expect slower restoration of your hand.

Getting help with carpal tunnel syndrome starts with YOU. You don't need surgery, steroid shots or physical therapy to get rid of symptoms for good. If you commit to the B.R.E.M. techniques you'll see symptoms disappear steadily and permanently.