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Carpal tunnel-friendly upper body exercises

A lot of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) are caused by excessive extension of the wrists, like when you type on a computer keyboard for hours on end. One of the difficulties caused by carpal tunnel syndrome or other RSIs is that you have to avoid gripping objects tightly as well as avoiding flexing and extending your wrist. This makes it almost impossible to do any work with free weights and most weight machines. Here’s a checklist of what to do if you have such an injury.

First, ask your doctor if it's OK to try some resistance work as long as you don't grip a dumbbell or the handle of a weight machine tightly. For example, you should be able to use an upright weight machine with pads (called a pec deck) without holding on to anything, just by pushing with your forearms and elbows against the pads. That will allow you to get some chest work done. On some pec decks you can reverse your position, facing away from the pads. If you can get into that position, you can hold your arms horizontally, with your elbows bent, and push backwards on the pads with your elbows. You can work your rear deltoids and upper back in this manner.

You can put ankle or wrist weights around your wrists and do lateral raises (flies) for your shoulders. You can also do triceps extensions or kickbacks with the wrist weights and curls. The important keys to remember are to keep your fingers open with your palm relaxed and to keep your wrist in a neutral position, neither flexed nor extended. You can also try using elastic bands for some resistance exercises.

Since your wrist needs rest, for now you will have to avoid all pulling and pressing exercises like rowing and bench pressing. Another approach would be to work with a trainer who can give you manual resistance with the proper precautions. Swimming may be OK, but ask your doctor first. The great thing about swimming is that you can work your upper body muscles and get an aerobic workout at the same time.

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