Because carpal tunnel syndrome is caused more by a misalignment of the body while you are performing repetitive motions, it is often treated incorrectly, through surgery or arthritis medications. There are a number of carpal tunnel exercises you can do to correct your posture and body alignment that will not only help correct your current carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms, but also prevent new ones from forming in the future.

Look at the way you hold yourself before starting these carpal tunnel exercises. Do you habitually hold one hand slightly in front of your body, or thrust one shoulder forward slightly more than the other? This indicates that you have a rotational posture problem, where your waist is slightly twisted in one direction or the other constantly. If you habitually hold one shoulder slightly higher than the other, or if your kneecaps face slightly outward when you are standing at rest instead of facing forward as they should, you have a problem with asymmetrical posture. Repairing these seemingly-minor problems will help correct a host of aches and pains, including carpal tunnel syndrome.

This carpal tunnel exercise is designed to correct poor spinal posture and straighten rotational posture problems. Sit with no back support - on a stool or forward in a chair - with your spine straight, shoulders centered over your pelvis. The seat should be at such a height that, with your feet flat on the floor, your thighs are at a right angle to your spine, and your shins should be at a right angle to your hips. Place a small rubber ball (about 8" in diameter) between your knees. Squeeze knees together slowly, using your inner thigh muscles. Do 3 sets of 15. This exercise may be uncomfortable or feel unnatural to you; that indicates that it is treating the correct problem and the discomfort should go away as the problem is alleviated. If real pain begins anywhere and does not go away during the exercise, stop immediately.

You can also do this exercise while lying on the floor, your legs on the stool so that you make the same two 90 degree angles.

Using cushions and a board, fashion a ramp at the angle of one wall so that when you stand flat on the ramp facing the wall, your ankles form a 45 degree angle to your shins. Holding the wall for balance, stand on this ramp flat footed and align your back, shoulders over pelvis, pelvis over knees, knees over ankles. Hold this position for a count of 20, then step down and repeat. This is one of several carpal tunnel exercises that are good for repairing poor rotational posture.

Stand close to the wall, facing it. Cup your hands into C's and hold them above your head, arms straight, so that the two C's face one another. Now move as close to the wall as is comfortable, keeping your posture straight, head over shoulders, over hips, over knees, over ankles. Slowly move your arms down into the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions. Hold this position for at least a 20 count, a full minute if you can. Slowly move your arms into the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. Hold. Now relax. Repeat. With this exercise, gradually move closer to the wall, and hold your positions longer until you can hold them a full minute. Stop whatever you're doing if you suddenly feel pain anywhere. This carpal tunnel exercise corrects asymmetrical posture problems.

None of these carpal tunnel exercises should cause you any pain. If you experience pain during any of these, stop doing it immediately, try the others for a while, and then go back to the exercise that hurt. If it still causes you pain, see your doctor.