Occupational Therapy Can Help You Feel and Function Better with Postural Re-training
Have you ever felt tingling, numbness, or a “pins and needles” sensation in your hand or fingers, especially while sitting at your desk, driving, or sleeping? Do you wake with your arm feeling like it’s asleep? It might be easy to blame a pinched nerve or assume it’s carpal tunnel syndrome, but in many cases, postural misalignment and neural tension could be the root cause.
Let’s explore how posture affects your nerves, why these issues show up in your hands, and how occupational therapy can offer lasting relief and restore your ability to move and function with comfort.
What Is Neural Tension?
Your nerves, just like muscles and tendons, need to glide smoothly as you move. Think of them like long, strings that run from your spine into your arms and hands. When the body is in alignment, nerves move freely with no restrictions. But when the nerve is not free to move and glide along its path, you may notice tingling or numbness.
Neural tension occurs when these nerves are stretched, compressed, or entrapped along their path. This is often as a result of postural imbalances, holding a position for too long or repetitive movement patterns.
How Posture Affects the Nervous System
If you have tight muscles due to surgical interventions or if you train certain muscles more than others, your shoulders and shoulder blades may rest in a position that promotes tension. Even people who exercise a lot can develop this problem, for example, if the chest muscles are very strong while the opposing muscles around the shoulder blade are not strong enough, these very fit people lack muscle balance. Common causes of neural tension include:
- Tightness in the chest and neck
- Weakness in the back and postural muscles
- Intermittant compression of a nerve bundle called the brachial plexus
- Altered alignment of the spine and upper extremity
This “closed-in” position reduces the space and mobility the nerves need to move freely. The result? Annonying or painful symptoms that can be disruptive to daily life.
Common Diagnoses with Postural and Neural Involvement
Posture-related nerve tension may be a contributing factor in conditions such as:
- Post-mastectomy syndrome
- Fibrotic tissue changes post-breast radiation therapy
- Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS)
- Cervical radiculopathy
- Brachial plexopathy
- Cubital tunnel syndrome
- Double crush syndrome (where nerves are compressed in more than one location)
Understanding the whole picture, beyond just the hand, is crucial to make the changes you need to heal. Many times, health professionals miss the big picture by treating only the fingers or the wrist or the elbow and this is why the symptoms persist.
How Occupational Therapy Can Help
Occupational therapists are uniquely skilled at identifying postural, muscular, and nerve-related contributors to pain and dysfunction.
Here’s how OT addresses the issue:
Thorough Assessment
Your OT will evaluate your posture, muscle imbalances, nerve mobility, and daily habits that may contribute to your symptoms. This full-body approach helps identify why you’re experiencing neural tension and not just where it hurts.
Postural Retraining
Using exercise, body mechanics education, and ergonomic modifications, your OT will help you restore balanced alignment, strengthen postural muscles, and release tight tissues to reduce compression on nerves.
Nerve Gliding Techniques
Also known as neural mobilization, these gentle exercises help improve nerve glide and decrease sensitivity. With proper guidance, they can relieve symptoms and restore more natural movement patterns.
Ergonomic Support
Your OT can assess your workstation or daily tasks to recommend changes in:
Desk and chair positioning
Monitor height and keyboard use
Sleeping positions
Lifting and carrying techniques
Balance between work, rest and health-promoting activities
Even small changes can have a big impact on symptom relief and energy conservation.
Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Techniques
Techniques like myofascial release, trigger point dry needling, cupping, or instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) may be used to release muscular tension that contributes to nerve irritation.
Real Results, Real Relief
When neural tension and postural misalignment go unaddressed, symptoms often worsen over time. But with skilled OT intervention, many people experience:
- Decreased numbness and tingling
- Improved posture and body awareness
- Better energy and focus
- Increased comfort during work, exercise, and rest
- Renewed confidence in daily life
- Improved participation in health-promoting activities
It’s Not “Just Numbness,” It’s a Message
Paresthesias are your body’s way of asking for attention. Rather than ignore or mask them, OT invites you to listen, learn, and make changes that support long-term comfort and function.
Whether your symptoms are new or ongoing, it’s never too late to address the root cause and reclaim your well-being. If you need Occupational therapy in Evanston, IL, click the button below to visit my website. Providing compassionate hand therapy care for clients in the Chicago area and North Shore.
Stand tall, move freely. Reduce neural tension to restore comfort, function, and a life without limitations
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