help with pain of carpal tunnel Please?

Question

okay this is my story...Hi, My name is Megan. I have been having wrist problems for sometime now. I am 17 and ever since 8th grade I my wrist have always hurt on and off and now it doesn't stop. My doctors told me at first it was tendentious my freshmen year. Last year (my junior year) I went back because the problem has only got worse and they told me it was Carpal tunnel and yet they did nothing for me. Now I am a senior and have been dealing with this for a while and I went back to the doctors and they are now sending me to a surgeon about this but I don't go back until March 19 and I was just wondering what you all think and what I could do to help with the pain until them because I haven't slept much this past week because the pain and numbing wakes me. I need a cheap and easy way until I see my surgeon. Thanks.

Answer 1

The solution is to not use drugs or buy a brace. I have suffered this too and the drugs are temporary not a cure and the brace was a waste of money. You did not specify how you had this symptom but my guess is typing on a keyboard and using the mouse? Before I tell you how to "cure" your problem make sure that your ergonomics are right when you use the computer. It is VERY important to find the right posture to help prevent the pain from getting worse than what it currently is. Do no lean on your arm when using your mouse. Do not lean forward when typing. Have your arm and elbow form a 90 degrees angle. This really helps prevent the problem from getting worse. Take regular breaks and do some light stretching excercises to get the body loose. Now the "cure". I can tell you from personal experience that I have managed to eliminate the pain from going to a acupuncturist. It is not a conventional way of doing things but it worked. I was skeptical at first but there is no doubt it works. Twice I suffered from carpal tunnel and tried to fight through it but both times I got to a point where I had to go seek another form of help. The Acupuncture totally took the pain away both times. Now that I have the correct posture while working, I no longer suffer in my wrists, arms or shoulders. I went to a chinese acupuncturist and it cost me $30 for about 1 hour of treatment. It's a lot of money but to be pain free it was well worth it.
Sorry for the long answer!

Answer 2

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the compression of the median nerve as it goes through the tunnel of your wrist which is made up by bones, tendons and ligaments. Things such as poor posture, poor body mechanics, bad habits (such as resting your wrist on the keyboard or desk when using a computer), doing an activity involving repetitive or prolonged gripping, etc can cause symptoms of carpal tunnel. Symptoms of carpal tunnel can also arise due to a problem coming from the elbow, shoulder or neck. Problems in these areas need to be ruled out before even considering any other treatment at the wrist or hand, especially surgery. If these areas have not been checked out I would not move forward with anything until you ask about them. I would ask for a referral to a Physical Therapist. They would be able to examine all of these areas and determine if it is in fact coming from the wrist or another area. I treat this kind of problem quite often. Have you had a nerve conduction test or EMG? These tests are used to assess where the compression of the nerve is happening. Just take them at face value. Just because the NCV/EMG test might show compression at the wrist does not mean that you need surgery. There are a lot of treatments that can help to alleviate or eliminate your symptoms. Sometimes it is as simple as improving the flexibility and mobility of your forearm and wrist and changing some bad habits. No matter how good a surgeon you have if you do not fix these things your problem would not be fixed and might even be made worse because of the scar tissue that would be present after the surgery. Good luck and please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.

Answer 3

When I first developed carpal tunnel, about 20 years ago, my upper arm and shoulder and neck would get to feeling like they were on fire! I used to do Data Entry for a living, so the cause of my CT was definitely "repetitive motion" damage.

I got a prescription from the doctor for Motrin, about 800 milligrams, and it helped the pain a LOT.

But I also found something called "Tiger Balm." You can get it at any grocery or drug store. It has menthol and I think eucalyptus, and something called "cajaput." (I think I spelled that right) I haven't needed to use it in so long, I don't recall all that it has in it, but it's all natural ingredients.

It comes in a regular white strength, or a red extra strength. The white smells very strong of menthol, while the red has almost a clove smell to it.

Oftentimes, while the problem with CT is in the wrist, it will manifest the pain in the upper arm and shoulder, like mine did.

So I would rub the Tiger Balm on my shoulder, mostly. It feels great, soothes and calms the "firey" inflammation and pain, and puts it to "sleep" for a few hours.

The only problem with it is the smell sometimes bothers some people. It depends on how much you like or don't like the smell of menthol.

It's the same stuff that's in Mentholatum, which is great to rub on your chest to relieve chest congestion.

I would suggest you follow the advice of the 2 answers above that are so informative, and coming from the physical therapist.

I would back away from the surgery. It can potentially do more harm than good. There's no way I would have surgery on any part of my body--especially my hands. They are my livelihood, even though I don't do Data Entry anymore, but I do airbrushing now, which can irritate the CT almost just as much, sometimes.

That's the first step to solving the problem--stop doing whatever is causing it. Whenever my hands are feeling too stressed from whatever I'm doing, whether it's airbrushing or typing on my computer (like now), I stop frequently and rub my hands and give them a break.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

De, Prior to the surgery I suggest that you visit with a chiropractor and look into the possibilities of chiropractic spinal manipulation. They have some great results without surgical intervention in many cases of carpal tunnel. I have seen some people have great result5s from the surgical techniques and others have no relief at all. Please look into non-surgical interventions whenever possible for such things. I do not have this problem thankfully but I do know what you are speaking of in several of the other problems. You are always in my prayers. Love, Eds ~~~ .

Answer 5

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (although not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. The carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand houses the median nerve and tendons. Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed. The result may be pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm. Although painful sensations may indicate other conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies in which the body's peripheral nerves are compressed or traumatized. Treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome should begin as early as possible, under a doctor's direction. Underlying causes such as diabetes or arthritis should be treated first. Initial treatment generally involves resting the affected hand and wrist for at least 2 weeks, avoiding activities that may worsen symptoms, and immobilizing the wrist in a splint to avoid further damage from twisting or bending. If there is inflammation, applying cool packs can help reduce swelling. Drugs- In special circumstances, various drugs can ease the pain and swelling associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonprescription pain relievers, may ease symptoms that have been present for a short time or have been caused by strenuous activity. Orally administered diuretics ("water pills") can decrease swelling. Corticosteroids (such as prednisone) or the drug lidocaine can be injected directly into the wrist or taken by mouth (in the case of prednisone) to relieve pressure on the median nerve and provide immediate, temporary relief to persons with mild or intermittent symptoms. (Caution: persons with diabetes and those who may be predisposed to diabetes should note that prolonged use of corticosteroids can make it difficult to regulate insulin levels. Corticosterioids should not be taken without a doctor's prescription.) Additionally, some studies show that vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) supplements may ease the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Exercise - Stretching and strengthening exercises can be helpful in people whose symptoms have abated. These exercises may be supervised by a physiotherapist, who is trained to use exercises to treat physical impairments, or an occupational therapist, who is trained in evaluating people with physical impairments and helping them build skills to improve their health and well-being. Alternative therapies - Acupuncture and chiropractic care have benefited some patients but their effectiveness remains unproved. An exception is yoga, which has been shown to reduce pain and improve grip strength among patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Hope this helps,
matador 89

Answer 6

Ibuprofen and wrist braces help, and for what it's worth, when I was your age I suffered like you do. My Mom showed me an article from Prevention magazine that said some CT sufferers benefit from large doses of a B vitamin (I think it was B1). I started taking a B complex 3 or 4 times a day, and was able to cancel the surgery that was scheduled because my wrists improved so much!! It's about 30 years later now, and I occasionally need to take Advil or wear a brace, but it's only about once or twice a year (in spite of having a serious injury to one wrist), and to me, that's a whole lot better than having surgery. Good Luck!!

Answer 7

hey i had ct when i was pregnant for some reason and i vividly rember the horrible numbness at night i don't rember who told me this but it works well after a few days i usto to wear wrist supportung braces at night when i slept it takes alittle getting usto but after a few weeks the difference is amazing it all but removed the pain i still had a little numbness on occation but usually when didn't put on the braces you can get the at a drug store and they not cost much proably between 15 and 25 bucks i hope you try this out it really worked for me good luck

Answer 8

Any anti inflammatory, such as ibuprofen or naproxen (aleve), will help. You can also buy hand braces for about $20 to wear. Try a local pharmacy. Good luck