Deep Dive: Arms & Hands
From feet to hands! This may seem random, but we are moving into what clients have requested! If you want us to dive into something that you are suffering with, to gain self-care tips, let us know! We will add it to the growing list and get you the information more quickly than if we just go through the body. So, arms and hands .
Arms and hands are interesting, because I don’t usually have clients with a ton of sore, deep pain, but more of the tingling, numbness and weakness. We use our hands for everything, and therefore our arms. The muscles that move our hands start in our elbow area. There are muscles in your hands as well, but they don’t do the major movements. Another common problem people complain of is carpal tunnel. So let’s dive into this and talk about what you can do for self-care, what other professionals could help, and how massage therapy can help you in your situation.
Your Symptoms + Massage
First things first, let’s talk numbness and tingling. Many people think that massage can’t help with this, but that just simply isn’t true. When muscles are tight, they will press on nerves, and when nerves are pressed or pinched, they like to cause tingling. This will transmit where the nerve runs, for example, down your arm. The thing is, the nerve is probably actually being pinched in your neck or chest. So this is why, during a massage, we will massage your neck, chest, arms, and even between the shoulder blades in your back to ensure we are hitting all of the areas that could be causing the tingling. (Fun fact- also why we are named Encompass- because we encompass the area we’re working!) Trigger Points in your neck, back, arms, chest also send referrals down your arm. In fact there are tons of muscles that do, adding to the tingling and numbness. (I’m going to post pictures of where the trigger points are and how they usually refer-watch for that!) Many times, we will find a tight muscle in your neck, chest, back or arms and once it releases, the tingling goes away. So cool!
One of the signs that you have trigger points (knots that refer sensation) in your muscles is if you have weakness. And the area that it shows up in super common is in the arms and hands. Recently, I had a client who said that sometimes when he is on the phone, his hand will just stop working, become super weak and he’ll drop his phone. I nodded, and went straight to working on his deltoids and forearms, as well as his hands, to release those trigger points and therefore the weakness.
The last thing I want to touch on is carpal tunnel. Before you get surgery, I recommend trying massage! Especially if you haven’t been experiencing it for super long- the muscles that are tight in the area may be compressing on that median nerve and when we release the muscles, your symptoms may decrease or go away. I’ve had it happen many times, and either delay surgery, or if the referral wasn’t bad in the first place, it will completely go away. Trigger Point Therapy can help in many many situations and hands and arms are not left out!
Chiropractic Care
My favorite story about getting hand/ arm relief is actually one about me. When I was in massage school, I started experiencing very intense pain all the way up my arm if I would try to push myself up when standing up from a couch or chair. I thought “Oh no! Carpal tunnel already?! I haven’t even finished massage school, how will I have a career in massage therapy?” But I worked for a chiropractor at the time, and mentioned it to him. He adjusted my wrists, and they immediately went back to normal! What?! I had no idea chiropractors could adjust wrists, but it was and has been a complete life saver for my career. So my other biggest recommendation is to make sure you are in alignment, not only in your spinal column, but extremities as well. Especially if you are experiencing that sort of shocking pain like I was. It is so important to make sure that not only are you muscles getting relaxed but that your spinal column is in alignment. Tingling can also be directly related to have a vertebra out of alignment as well. So, in these situations with arm problems, massage and chiropractic care together is key.
So far, I’ve recommended massage and chiropractic care for anything related to arm and hand pain. And in my experience, those two therapies will help with so much-probably even more than you realized. But, I also want to recommend self-care tips.
Self-Care Tips
Keeping your neck, chest and arms stretched will help with all of the tension and pain you are feeling. I will be posting a stretching video addressing all three of these areas, so keep your eyes peeled for that! This will help you feel great between sessions and help your body hold your sessions so that you can go further between sessions as well.
Beyond stretching, I have a few more tips. Try essential oils for inflammation and tension. Panaway or peppermint are both great options. Make sure to dilute before putting on the sore area. The essential oils will help to decrease inflammation and when it does decrease, some of that nerve pain and tingling will decrease.
If you are suffering with arthritis, essential oils are also a great option. We are planning on making a lotion specifically for those of you suffering with arthritis, and if you want to be the first to get one, comment below or email us! Another great tool to use if you have arthritis is paraffin wax. You can get a kit, with the wax and tub to melt wax in at Bed Bath & Beyond or a store like that, for about $30. When the wax is on your hands, it is very soothing warm, and the heat also feels great. I’ve had many people with arthritis tell me that it helps a lot!
You can take some of this into your own hands at home! Of course for function, so much of it depends on how you are taking care of and loving your body and spirit. We also have an e-course with guided foam rolling techniques for general use and seven different areas of the body, how to use the Trigger Point Ball, and 10 spots we always use it for & 10 different stretches! It’s a great resource to return to again and again. Working on yourself at home can have a great affect on your body between appointments and keep you feeling great!
Thank you for reading all about hand and arm pain and what you can do to help yourself if you suffer with this. And if you experience any arm pain, we can help! Don’t keep putting it off because it comes and goes or you only get in when you are sleeping. Your body is trying to tell you that there is something going on-listen! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment below or email me at encompasstm@gmail.com. And remember- keep an eye out during the next 10 days for more tips, recommendations and more!
XO,
Nikki