With so many people working for hours on computer, we are seeing more and more people with wrist and hand pain. Using information just mentioned above, examine muscles that move hand. The muscles of forearm originate at, or near, elbow. They then insert in hand and wrist. The muscles on top of arm are called "extensors", and muscles on underside of arm are called "flexors". When flexors contract hand is pulled into a fist, &/or hand moves down. When extensors contract hand &/or finger are pulled up. If you grip your forearm with your opposite hand, then wiggle your fingers, and open & close your hand, you will feel flexors & extensors contracting. Also, if you move your hand side to side you will also feel muscles that are responsible for that motion.

These are very powerful muscles, and they are being used repetitively for many hours daily. After work if you go home and play tennis, or piano, crochet or play computer games, you are again contracting these muscles over and over. Eventually you have pain at your wrist, and you are told you have carpal tunnel syndrome. In reality you have repetitive strain injury (RSI) of forearm muscles.

At Carpal Tunnel Treatment Center we use an analogy that helps our patients understand why pain is felt so far from spasm. If you pulled your hair at end you wouldn¹t feel it there, you would feel it at scalp where it inserts. If you pulled it for a very long time you would eventually get an inflammation, swelling, and pain would radiate away from point of insertion. Exactly same thing is happening in your wrist.

When muscles of forearm contract, and stay in contracted position due to spasms, strain is put on insertion point at wrist. Eventually you end up with an inflammation and swelling. Since all flexor tendons travel through carpal tunnel, they cause pain and swelling in that area. You are diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, but quickest and easiest therapy is to release muscle. Surgery will open bridge to carpal tunnel, but muscles will still be putting strain on insertion points.

Another muscle that has a serious impact on carpal tunnel is muscle of thumb. This is meaty muscle that is felt at base of thumb, called Opponens Pollicis. The Opponens Pollicis originates at ligament that forms bridge of carpal tunnel, and it inserts at base of your thumb. When this muscle contracts you draw your thumb in toward your palm. You use this muscle many thousands of times a day and you never stretch it. It is extremely common for this muscle to contract, and stay in shortened position. When that happens it is pulling hard on bridge to carpal tunnel and is pressing down on median nerve. You now experience numbness in your thumb and first two fingers. Releasing tension in this muscle will also release pressure on median nerve.

It is vital to work on muscles of forearm. Each individual muscle spasms needs to be worked out. These are deep muscles, a light massage won¹t be as effective as deep muscle therapy. Proper therapy, and stretching all of muscles, has proven to completely heal this condition without surgery.

Oxygen free radicals released in our bodies also destroy proteins that are essential constituents of body, regulate our hormones and enzymes and compose our nerves, muscles, skin and hair. In other words, those wrinkles that we fear are also dirty work of oxygen free radicals. Created by both internal consumption of processed foods and external use of chemical laden products on our body.

Antioxidants can protect against free radical damage in body. In fact, unusually low levels of such antioxidants are linked to an increased risk of damaged cell growths and heart problems. As a result it is believed that taking antioxidant vitamin supplements that "scavenge" free radicals can potentially decrease this risk.

Are you practicing prevention? Prevention is always better than spending thousands of dollars and ill health after fact! Daily prevention includes taking a quality liquid, powder or capsule antioxidant compound twice daily or pick up each individual antioxidant form.

Antioxidants are Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Beta-Carotene. These are found in small amounts in fruits and vegetables of which we are unable to get in sufficient quantities in our fruits and vegetables to keep our immune systems tuned up and keep us as well as we can be, according to Congressional study done in 1936. See excerpt of Congressional report at http://www.envirodocs.com/1936_excerpt.htm

"Without your health you are nothing," is a phrase often repeated to me by patients over years and I believe them. You should too! So I wish you good health and success in all things.

********************** Lena Sanchez a retired Medical office nurse/administrator/consultant's Short bio at http://www.envirodocs.com/lena_health_story.htm Lena also is an online consultant in both business and alternative health matters building healthy business, minds and bodies http://www.envirodocs.com Editor of "Natural Environmental Health & Business Facts," newsletter subscribe at http://www.envirodocs.com/newsletter.htm