Pregnancy and early Motherhood has its demands on a women's body, these may result in hand or wrist pain. One of these can be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which you can get in pregnancy and postpartum. Whilst most women develop CTS during their final trimester and it generally decreases after birth, sometimes it can linger, making motherhood uncomfortable.

It is felt commonly in the palm, thumb, index and middle fingers, in one or both hands. During pregnancy the influx of hormones can create more fluid retention, this coupled with blood volume increase and softer blood vessels can cause compression of the medium nerve.

Common signs include:
-Numbness in thumb, index or middle finger, you can also experience difficulty when picking things up.
-Pain in your wrist, thumbs, index/middle fingers and mainly at night.
-Tingling which may get worse when you move your hand or when the weather is hot.
-Pain when doing weight bearing activity when exercising, such as being on all fours.
-Discomfort or general weakness in that area.

There are a few ways to help alleviate the discomfort.

1) Avoid any exercises that aggravate the area, especially weight bearing, modify the exercises when needed.
2) Apply ice to the area to reduce swelling.
3) Keep wrists in good alignment throughout the day, take breaks from your desk, typing etc. if needed. (Every 20 minutes is advisable.)
4) Avoid positions of full flexion or extension.
5) Wear a wrist splint at night.
6) Change positions when feeding and lifting your baby.
7) Practice massage and myofascial release.
8) Include gentle movement exercises to help strengthen the area, speak to your postpartum fitness specialist or physiotherapist for this.
9) Drink plenty of water and eat less salty foods to help reduce the swelling.
10) See a specialist is the pain persists and does not get better.

When it comes to exercising with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, we suggest speaking to your coach about modifying some of the exercises so that they are not bearing down on your wrist and maintaining proper wrist alignment. There are also some great warm up exercises you can add to your routine to help keep the blood moving and gentle rehab. Reach out to us if you need more advice about gentle movement for postpartum recovery.