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Carpal tunnel syndrome, an often painful condition that's caused by swelling within a narrow opening in the wrist, is often caused by a repeated strain or pressure on the area, aggravating the median nerve running through the passageway.

Repeated movements throughout the course of the day, such as those associated with computer use and typing, put excess pressure on the carpal tunnel. This causes symptoms like pain, tingling, and numbness, not only in the hands, but also the fingers, wrists, and forearms. Injuries to the wrist and conditions such as pregnancy, arthritis, or diabetes may also be to blame for carpal tunnel syndrome -- making an accurate diagnosis imperative.

The good thing, is that carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is something that can be treated and is also manageable by doing easy exercises, medicines which are purchased over-the-counter, and in some situations, surgical treatment. Today there are a lot of web sites that show free carpal tunnel syndrome exercises online. They will either come in things like videos or articles and illustrations that can be extremely helpful to use when trying to treat this condition.

There are certain precautions that you can take, though they're not actually exercises, using the proper positioning or ergonomics while working will help to reduce the chances of being affected by carpal tunnel syndrome. If you already do have the condition, ergonomics will help to reduce your existing symptoms. When using the keyboard, it should be placed directly in front of you while keeping the shoulders relaxed and the upper arms in a neutral position.

Address the ergonomics of your work station. Use a desk that allows you to adjust the height of your keyboard so that less pressure will be exerted on wrists and forearms. Try to type in a position that will keep your wrists off of any hard surface. Even resting them on your desk for a long time will cause inflammation of the carpal nerve and aggravate symptoms.

To relieve the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome use this simple work out.

1. You have to stretch both your wrists and fingers in front of your body, then extend the hands and fingers upwards as if you were indicating stop motion.

2. Hold this position for a count of five before relaxing and straightening the wrists in front of the body.

3. Next, make a fist with both hands while the arms are still extended forward.

4. Rotate the wrists down to the floor while maintaining a fist and then hold for five seconds.

5. Relax and extend your wrists and hands into their customary positions, then follow the preceding steps again, up to 5-7 additional repetitions.