My mom loves to do gardening. As a matter of fact, that’s how she’d spend her weekends. The amount of time and effort she spends on her plants has really paid off as we have a lovely garden at home.

Lately mommy has been complaining about the pain and stiffness in her wrist and hand. Now, I’m no doctor but I’m beginning to suspect that she has carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). So I Googled everything I could about CTS.

I learned that CTS is a painful disorder of the wrist and hand. You see, the carpal tunnel is a narrow tunnel formed by the bones and other tissues of your wrist and it is this tunnel that protects your median nerve. The median nerve gives you feeling in your thumb, and index, middle and ring fingers.

But when other tissues in the carpal tunnel, such as ligaments and tendons, get swollen or inflamed, they press against the median nerve. And it is that pressure that can make part of your hand hurt or feel numb. It can even lead to muscle weakness in the forearm and hand.

Turns out CTS is more common in women than it is in men. Repetitive activities are often blamed for the development of CTS – People whose jobs require pinching or gripping with the wrist held bent is more likely to develop CTS, such as people who use computers, carpenters, grocery checkers, assembly-line workers, meat packers, musicians and mechanics.

There are several ways to treat CTS, such as taking pain relievers like buprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen or aspirin. Or you can ask the doctor to give you a shot of cortisone in the wrist. Although this may ease the pain by relieving the swelling and inflammation, the pain may come back after a while.

Then there’s also the option of surgery. No no no, unless if that is the last resort, I can’t imagine asking my mom to go through surgery.

Luckily, there is another option that isn’t invasive. IMAK offers the SmartGlove for carpal tunnel relief. Designed by orthopaedic surgeon, it helps prevent CTS by encouraging proper hand and wrist position. Other features include a flexible support splint; washable, breathable cotton Lycra® for all day comfort; and a massaging ergoBeads™ pad under the wrist, which cushions and improves circulation. Apart from being reversible to fit either the left or right hand, it also comes in different sizes.

I think this would make a wonderful present to mommy as her birthday is coming up in August. Perhaps I should also consider getting one for myself as I use the computer a lot too.