Can Too Much Sex Cause Carpal Tunnel?

From Dr. Z - Carpal tunnel syndrome specialist

Can Too Much Sex Cause Carpal Tunnel?

Many people wonder if too much sex can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. It's actually not such a bizarre question. And it's certainly a topic worthy of serious discussion.


Your first response might be that the very idea is absurd. How can sexual intercourse and carpal tunnel possibly be related? But as it turns out, it's not so silly after all because they can be related!


The relationship was first raised by Dr. John Zenion. He studied the many risk factors for getting carpal tunnel syndrome. His study excluded occupational risk factors like working with vibrating equipment, lifting heavy loads, etc. Of the 8 non-occupational risk factors, 4 could be attributed to changes in a person's frequency of having sexual intercourse. How that association is linked is outlined below.



silhouette of couple holding hands at sunset

How carpal tunnel syndrome happens

Before understanding how it's possible that too much sex causes carpal tunnel syndrome, let's discuss what this disorder is all about.


Carpal tunnel syndrome is a type of neuropathy. That means a nerve is injured or damaged. In this instance, we're specifically referring  to the median nerve in the wrist and hand.


The median nerve is one of the major nerves of the hand. Among other functions, it carries information to the brain like feelings like fine touch, pain, temperature, etc. 


Wrist flexor tendons also follow the same course as the median nerve; from the fingers, through the wrist joint, and up the forearm.

couple with hand pain

When tendons become stressed (by overworking them) they tend to inflame and swell. In the wrist, the swelling pushes against the median nerve. This pushing is what causes all of the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Eventually, and without treatment, the pushing and squeezing continues until you reach the severe stage of the disorder.

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome

The symptoms of carpal tunnel occur in all of the fingers except the pinky finger. They also occur primarily on the palm side of the hand. The symptoms can vary from person to person, but generally include:


  • Pain
  • Numbness
  • Pins & needles (tingling)
  • Burning
  • Soreness
  • Weakness
  • Itching
  • Puffy feeling (without actual signs of swelling)
areas of carpal tunnel pain

Sometimes pain shoots up the hand like electric shocks. Other times pain comes and goes. Usually, pain or numbness first appear at night when you're trying to sleep. 


Many people first notice symptoms because their hand feels clumsy. They drop things like cups and dishes. It's difficult to tie a shoelace or button a shirt.


As carpal tunnel syndrome progresses further, you also begin to experience more severe symptoms. Any of the above sensations can increase in intensity. And the symptoms will last into the day until there's no relief at all.


In the most severe stages of carpal tunnel syndrome patients begin to have extreme dexterity problems. They tend to have profound weakness in their grip strength. And most patients lose the ability to sense hot and cold in their fingers. In time, the thumb muscle wastes (degenerates). This is noticeable as a flattening of the bump at the base of your thumb.

How sexual intercourse & carpal tunnel are related

The key is the bent hand

What does "too much sex" really mean? Most psychologists assert there's no such thing, provided it involves a normal and healthy relationship.


And when it comes to physical exertion, sex is relatively good exercise. In fact, men burn about 100 calories during sex. This compares to 276 calories burned on a treadmill.


But the evidence also suggests that when sexual intercourse is performed frequently, it increases the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. The exact reasons are unknown, Dr. Zenion suggests an indirect possibility: the relationship is likely due to excess pressure you exert on bent wrists during sex.

push-ups with bent wrists

Bent hands increase internal wrist pressure

If a sexual participant is obese or has a large chest circumference, it produces a heavier upper body. So does the condition of macromastia. This is abnormal enlargement of the female breast tissue in excess of the person's normal proportion.


These conditions have the potential to produce excess pressure on bent wrists during sexual intercourse.


Certainly, the bilateral nature of carpal tunnel syndrome can be easily explained this way. About 87% of people who have carpal tunnel syndrome in one hand will get symptoms in the other hand within 6 months.


Why? Perhaps because most normal humans use both hands to support the upper body during sexual intercourse. Dr. Zenion says that makes this association quite plausible.


In addition, the bent (extended) wrist joint is like a time bomb. Hydrodynamic studies show that bending the wrist alone can increase the wrist's internal pressure 3-5 fold. So can bending just a couple fingers!


Now add to that pressure a person's upper body weight on the bent wrist during sexual intercourse. It's easy to see how that pressure can multiply several times.

wrist extension

Sex & carpal tunnel decline with age

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a problem of the median nerve being crushed by internal fluid pressure. It's only reasonable to assume that any added pressure (a bent wrist plus weight on the wrist) will add to the crushing force on the nerve.


Now consider the parallel between the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome compared to the frequency of sexual intercourse during one's lifetime. Between the sixth and the seventh decades of life, the frequency of sexual intercourse decreases over 6 fold (combining male and female data).


Interestingly, the probability of getting carpal tunnel syndrome during that same age range falls 4-5 fold. Is this just a coincidence? Perhaps.


But while there might not be a direct correlation, it certainly is curious that the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome is proportional to the decline in sexual intercourse with age. Of course, other factors like some morbidities (which can lead to increased carpal tunnel risk) in addition to decreased libido (resulting in less frequent sex) may play a role.

How to treat carpal tunnel syndrome

Nocturnal bracing

man sleeping with a night brace

Nocturnal (night) bracing is most effective for mild cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. With more severe cases, nocturnal bracing is absolutely required. 


Nocturnal bracing is one of the most potent remedies for carpal tunnel syndrome. But improper bracing can be dangerous. Make sure you use a certified carpal tunnel night brace, and not just any generic "drug store" wrist splint. Such inappropriate generic braces are usually available at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, etc. Don't use them!


Be careful because they are NOT carpal tunnel braces if they have a metal spine located on the palmar surface of the brace. This is very bad for carpal tunnel syndrome becasue it pushes into your wrist joint as you sleep. Doing so adds internal pressure, making symptoms worse in the morning. 


Finally, wearing a wrist brace during the day is also harmful if you have carpal tunnel syndrome. You end up subconsciously fighting the brace while your hand works. That magnifies tendon strain, making your condition far worse.

Rest and avoid excessive hand strain

man swinging a hammer

If you have mild carpal tunnel syndrome, resting your hand means taking frequent breaks from any stresses to the hand. It's actually best if you can avoid such stresses altogether for a period of time, like 4 weeks. 


Avoid certain harmful hand activities which are known to result in carpal tunnel. Examples are maintaining a constant grip or frequent grip-and-release activities. If you must perform such activities you need to rest your hands often.


If you have mild-to-moderate symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, simple rest and avoidance may not suffice. For maximum effectiveness, they should be combined with exercise and massage (below) as part of an overall therapy regimen.

Stretching exercises

stretching the forefinger

Stretching exercises for hands and fingers are extremely important to combat carpal tunnel sydnrome. They're also often overlooked as one of the most potent remedies.


Proper stretching reduces tendon strain. That's because it loosens adhesions and restrictions on tendons. It also lubricate tendons for better gliding function. 


The core stretching exercises you need don't require a lot of time (taking only a minute to complete). Restoring your hand from mild or moderate carpal tunnel syndrome means doing these exercises every 1-2 hours (depending on severity) for 3-4 weeks. They should be a routine part of your therapy regimen.

Massage (using myofascial release)

myofascial release massage on a forearm

A particular type of massage called myofascial release is commonly used by physical therapists to relieve severe carpal tunnel symptoms. It's a relatively aggressive technique applied mainly for deep restrictions, as occurs with this disorder.


This remedy is so effective because it breaks up restrictions and adhesions on tendons. When adesions dissolve, tendons can glide more smoothly. This relieves their inflammation and therefore relieves pressure on the median nerve.


Myofascial release massage requires making counter-rotating motions with your thumbs on the patient's wrist. The area of massage is just below the wrist crease, directly over the flexor tendons. The kneading motion also promotes blood flow and facilitates fluid drainage from the wrist joint. Here's how to perform that massage.

Myofascial release massage is not an overnight therapy. It must be performed every day for at least 30 days. It must also be part of your regular therapy regimen - especially if you have severe symptoms.

Conclusion

Can too much sex cause carpal tunnel syndrome? Nobody knows for sure. However, assuming sexual activity involves exerting high stresses on the wrist joints, then good evidence suggests that frequent sexual activity will overly stress your wrists. By extension, therefore, sexual frequency should have an impact on the probability of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Additional factors such as obesity may exacerbate stresses on the wrist during sex. Obviously, this theoretical relationship requires more validation.