Tight scalenese affect shoulders which affect nerves down the arm.

Rub the forearm muscles – you can feel how hard they are. use ART or rub in one direction (towards fingers). Gives relief. Rub the base of your thumb. This led me to Trigger Point Therapy (http://www.triggerpointbook.com/) which is brilliant and I believe in it whole heartedly. But always a temporary fix as my muscles spasm/contract after a short while. I never could find a Trigger Point Therapist who would treat the scalenes/neck/shoulder first.

If your thumbs have gone stiff, use a quick vibration massage tool on the thumb or thumb bones. instant loosening.
This led me to look at myofascial treatment and came to Bowen Technique. Interesting and I wonder why that ‘vibration’ fixed my thumb/hand instantly.

I have started treatment now, which after one session fixed a sprained left foot my physio/massage could not fix in 6 months.

I know someone who is diagnosed with Fibormalgia and carpul tunnel. They had the operation which cuts the band. But the muscles in the tripceps and forearm are still rock hard. I rubbed them which eased/loosened the tight hand still.

The cause is tight muscles. Fix that, fix the hands/fingers.

Responding to Dr. Gonzalez: Yes, very true. Nerve entrapment can even start in the neck and cause symptoms in the hand and arm. The scalene muscles in the neck are the most commonly overlooked cause of CTS. Tight neck muscles can be relaxed with manual (hand) pressure.

Responding to Alec: So true. Often the symptom (effect) is treated but the cause is not recognized. Bodies are so wonderful! They react and respond. They want to be well and can be well if we get rid of the cause of a problem.

First off, it can actually be from constant use and inflammation of the flexor tendons as they pass in and out of the tunnel. However, one of the most common causes of numbness into the hands (often misdiagnosed as CTS) is an entrapment of the median nerve as it passed through the 2 heads of the pronator teres muscle in the forearm. This entrapment is from muscular overuse and is considered an RSI.

I can’t tell you how many of my patients improve with treatment of the pronator teres, by Active Release Techniques®.

Good post but I feel everyone should be aware of the multiple spots for a median nerve entrapment in the arm, which can cause symptom very similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

For more info: http://www.OrangeCountyPainManagement.com