The Best Wrist Brace for Carpal Tunnel

Have you ever taken a step back to consider just how often you use your hands? It might seem silly but think about it. We use them for literally everything—brushing our teeth, driving a car, typing on a keyboard. And the reason we can use our hands is because of our wrists; to take care of our hands, therefore, is to care for our wrists as well.

According to a 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, hand and wrist injuries accounted for 16.8 lost days of work per 100,000 full-time workers. This may not seem like much, but these injuries were second only to back injuries, which came in at 17.3 workdays lost. For context, knee injuries and shoulder injuries accounted for 9.1 and 8.4 days, respectively.

Physical labor-intensive jobs entail the highest degree of physical strain. A bricklayer, for example, uses his or her wrist extensively, as does a delivery man or a baseball pitcher. But there are also mundane tasks that all of us complete daily contributing to wear and tear on our wrists. Cooking dinner and picking up a baby, for example, have been directly linked to many wrist injuries in the past.

With all of this in mind, today’s topic is a simple remedy that can help anyone fight off chronic wrist pain: wrist braces.

Name	Price	Best Feature	Our rating	Best Price
Mueller Green Fitted Wrist Brace	$	Leading Brace Company, great design	9.7/10	See Current Price
Dr. Arthritis Wrist Brace	$	Doctor Designed	9.5/10	See Current Price
Sparthos Wrist Support Sleeves	$	73% Nylon, 19% Latex, 8% Spandex - comfortable material	9.3/10	See Current Price
Vive Wrist Brace	$	Removable Splint	9.4/10	See Current Price
Wyllielab Wrist Brace	$	Smaller and comfortable design	9.2/10	See Current Price

What is a Wrist Brace?

A wrist brace is a mechanism worn around the wrist intended to protect it during activity or to allow it to heal from an injury. To that end, whether a brace is preventive or protective, they all work the same way. Anatomically speaking, the purpose of a wrist brace is to immobilize the joint while providing heat and compression to the bone and surrounding ligaments. Oftentimes, wrist braces are fashioned with velcro straps to reach around the thumb, and they typically include metal spines stretching along the forearm for added strength and protection.

What are the Benefits of using a Wrist Brace?

There are several benefits of wearing a wrist brace. By stabilizing the joint, a wrist brace minimizes the movement relative to the surrounding structures. This allows for the wrist to heal properly and safely while also enabling the user to function normally and complete daily tasks. Braces serve to reduce swelling and inflammation in the wake of an injury; and beyond that, they quell the pain of such injuries to a significant degree. A wrist brace contributes sizable relief in post-surgery healing by protecting the site of the procedure and allows for more rapid healing.

What is Carpal Tunnel?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a wrist injury that occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm to the hand, becomes squeezed or inflamed at the wrist. The carpal tunnel is the narrow passageway of bones and ligaments that houses this nerve, hence the name of the syndrome. It’s difficult to identify a singular cause of CTS. Experts often attribute trauma or injuries to the wrist, mechanical faults in the bone, or even fluid retention during pregnancy to the development of the syndrome.

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually begin gradually and mildly. What starts as a numb, weak feeling and inactivity, however, can quickly spiral into an extremely painful condition. If the condition deteriorates further, someone with severe CTS may not be able to distinguish between hot and cold surfaces and may even burn their fingers without feeling anything. It can also be very expensive to treat CTS; there are on average 500,000 procedures every year in the United States at a total economic cost of more than $2 billion.

What to Look for in a Wrist Brace?

Material: Most wrist braces these days are made of rigid tissue nylon fabrics or neoprene that allow for great flexibility and strength. They also tend to come with velcro straps to wrap around the thumb.

Size: Wrist braces only vary slightly in size, from between 4 and 9 inches, but most are around 6 or 7 inches in length. The velcro enables them to fit just about any wrist.

Washable: You could probably get away with throwing your brace in the washing machine using cold water, but do not put it in the dryer. I recommend washing it by hand with warm water and a mild disinfectant.

Amount of Support: Not all braces are created equally. Those you can buy over the counter at Walgreens or CVS aren’t bad per se, but they certainly don’t match the quality of others on the market.

How Does a Wrist Brace Work?

FAQ About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

How Long Does Carpal Tunnel Last?

The length of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome varies on different factors but it can last up to 6 months or longer if not taken care of. It is much easier to “fix” in the early stages instead of letting it linger.

How Does a Brace Help with Carpal Tunnel?

The wrist brace helps keep the wrist in neutral to prevent aggravating the Median nerve by stretching it or over using it. This allows the nerve to calm down and begin to heal. You don’t need to wear the brace all day long, but anytime that you are going to be doing repetitive work.

What Causes Carpal Tunnel?

In short, Carpal Tunnel is caused by overuse and repetitive movements that aggravate the tendons and nerve in the front of the wrist. This often is caused at work such as typing or mousing or at home with chores and over doing.

Do You have to have Surgery for Carpal Tunnel?

Not at all! If you perform the recommended stretches, calm it down with rest or a brace, and then strengthen to prevent it from coming back you do not need to have surgery. The vast majority of people don’t. There are instances such as when there is muscle wasting that surgery is indicated.

Why is Carpal Tunnel Worse at Night?

There are couple of reasons why the pain may be worse at night.

First there are no distractions to take your mind off of the pain and discomfort so it’s easier to focus on.
Second, it may have been aggravated through out the day and is now flare up.
Third, nerves are highly active at night and the Median nerve which is involved in Carpal tunnel is no different causing more pain.

The Best Wrist Compression Brace for Carpal Tunnel

Mueller Green Fitted Wrist Brace

Summary: The Mueller is one of the most popular braces on the market today. Durable and consistent, this brace is made with breathable materials, adjustable straps, and a metal spoon.

Pros: made almost entirely from recycled materials; costs less than $20

Cons: customers commented that the brace did not run true to size