Carpal tunnel exercises — median nerve glides + wrist mobility

Carpal tunnel syndrome is median nerve compression at the wrist — the nerve gets squeezed between the carpal bones below and the transverse carpal ligament above. Symptoms: numbness or tingling in the thumb, index, and middle fingers (rarely the ring or pinky — those run on the ulnar nerve). The non-surgical fix: nerve gliding. Extend one arm out to the side, palm up, wrist bent back so fingers point at the floor. Tilt your head AWAY from the arm. Hold 5 seconds, release. Repeat 10 times. This SLIDES the median nerve through the tunnel — different from stretching it. Three sessions a day. Most users see symptom reduction in 4-6 weeks if the cause (typing posture, wrist position) is also addressed.

The cue that protects you: stop the moment numbness or tingling appears. This means you've gone too far and irritated the nerve. The hallmark of nerve gliding is SLIDING, not stretching — and the line between them is the symptom threshold. Volya catalogues median-nerve-glide with this rule baked into the form cues. Pair with desk-ergonomics fixes: wrist at neutral when typing, mouse at elbow height, keyboard not lower than the elbow. Night splints (wrist in neutral while sleeping) shorten the symptomatic phase for 60% of users. For persistent numbness, weakness, or thumb-pinky function loss, see a hand surgeon — late-stage compression causes permanent nerve damage if untreated.