Carpal tunnel syndrome.

[Darrell]

My wife has been diagnosed with it in both hands. She has been signed off work for 16 days and will probably get signed off for another week.

She has got a load of stuff from the chemist and is wearing splints on each hand. After tests at the hospital it is mild in one hand and moderate in the other.
Does anyone have real world experience of this?

 

[Lyserman]

Yes.
I suffered for years with numb fingers, excruciating pain and general misery as I dropped things because my hand refused to obey.

Finally went under the knife for my right hand and, as it was done under local anaesthetic, watched the whole procedure as they found and cleared the scar tissue impinging on the nerve. Somewhat like the Terminator when he operated on himself.

Never had a problem with it since, so I would recommend getting on the list for surgery.
Resting will alleviate the symptoms in the short term but I found surgery the longest lasting fix.

I sympathise and hope she gets it resolved soon.

Tony

 

[MicB]

Both mine done about 15 years apart.

No issues following either operation. As above just a day patient job under local anaesthetic; I preferred not to watch but did hold a conversation throughout with the surgeon. I remember thinking that I would have quite liked to forego the conversation in order that the surgeon could apply 100% of his concentration to the operation.

Mic

 

[carnut]

I have been diagnosed with it in both hands. I've had cortisone injection in my left hand and that's alleviated the symptoms by about 80%. Well worth a first option as it's a painless and quick injection by your GP

Will probably go back for a second injection

Not keen on an operation as I'm a big wuse

 

[philsmerc]

Another thing to check is that your wife is not dehydrated. I had quite bad CTS back around 2005 and had 2 lots of injections, 6 months apart.

This cleared things up for a while but not for long. I was due to have the operation however, I was taken ill before this could be done (I had been going downhill for about a year and the medics didn't know why).

To avoid boring you with the details. I ended up diagnosed with Addison's Disease (you can Google it if you're curious), in hospital for a week on IV hydrocortisone and IV fluids. It was only a few weeks later that I reaalised the CTS had gone (never to return)!

The doctors reckon that although the high-dose steroids would have helped, the fact that I had been getting more and more dehydrated, would have contributed to the CTS.

Not saying this applies in all cases, but something to be aware of?

Hope she gets sorted out - it's bloody painfull.

Regards
Phil

 

[Darrell]

Cortisone may be the way to go.

The problem with surgery is the recovery time. My wife has only been in her job since June. She's already had 2 weeks off sick with another week to go. We then have a holiday booked from Feb 11. She's worried about losing her job.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I have it in both hands, first time round I had steroid injections, which relieved the symptoms for about 6 months. Then the right hand was operated on, it is a bit weaker than before. The left has had another injection and I think it is time to get the next op booked as it tires very quickly. My sister who is a Senior Sister doing plastics says I really shouldn't leave it longer as the longer the condition is sustained the lower the chance of a full return of hand strength. Certainly though an injection to start with is pretty likely and will help.

 

[MancMike]

I get it in my right wrist occasionally as it's my "mouse hand".

Maybe not as severe as some here, as I've never had professional medical treatment for it. It gets very painful to move the wrist anything but straight and I get numbness in the thumb and palm.

When it's been particularly bad, I've splinted and bandaged it and it's gotten better over the course of a week or so.

Although a flaw up of it a couple of weeks ago presented itself a little differently, I lost all strength in my right hand. There was no pain at first, just no strength. Then the pain came a few days later, then both symptoms faded together over this last week.

 

[shadenfroh]

I work on a computer at least 8 hours a day, sometimes 12, sometimes 16. My hand goes numb at times, or hurts. One thing I never want to try is any medication or injections. After ruthlessly poking my doctor about it, he confessed that these things treat the symptoms, but not the cause of the problem. If you continue to work under painkillers, you'll cause more damage.

You need to remove the stress that's causing the problem:

Always keep the upper half of your arms next to your body. Tie your arms with a rope around the elbows if need be. Never extend the arms outwards or forwards.

Get a nice chair that allows you to do this.

Take frequent breaks and stretch. Install an extension on your browser to remind you every 1/2 hour.

Get a nice keyboard and a nice mouse.

 

[AMGeed]

I had it in two fingers on my right hand (not those two) about 20 years ago during my time as a steelfixer.
It's damn painful as you can actually feel the tendon moving inside the fingers when you move them. Two weeks rest, and cortisone cream cured my problem, but I sympathise with any sufferers.

 

[RonFleet]

I had CPS in both hands, although I didn't know what it was at the time. I tried to ignore it for several years, but eventually the pain, the numbness and the fact that I was even more clumsy than usual drove me to the doctor. She sent me for tests on my hands and wrists, where I was told that I needed both hands operated on. My employer was very understanding (after I told them that I wasn't looking for compensation) and I had them done six months apart. Your wife should get her hands sorted out - don't leave it as the damage will only get worse.

 

[Darrell]

Thanks for the feedback guys. It's more common than I thought.
At the moment my wife is waiting for test results, then her doc will decide what's next.
We are unsure where it came from. My wife gave up the computer stuff years ago when we moved to Greece so any form of RSI is not going to happen.