Do I have carpal tunnel syndrome?

Question

My right hand shakes when I try to pick something up. I feel numbness and pain all the way to my shoulder. My mom, my grandfather, and my great grandmother had it. I am a musician and an artist does this make an effect on my hand?

Answer 1

That doesn't quite sound like it to me, but it can affect different people in different ways. Of course your best bet is to see your doctor about it. It could be tendonitis instead, or some other ailment. Here are some sites with info on it. I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, hopefully these sites help you understand what might be causing your pain. The shaking is what threw me off, the rest does sound more like carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel. Your nerve might be pinched in your shoulder too. The best bet would be to see a doctor so they can test your nerves and see where the issue really is. For now try some of the home remedies to ease the pain. If you keep on repeating the activities that brought this on it'll only get worse, and you'll need surgery. The surgery is fairly effective in most cases, in mine it wasn't, but I had some other circumstnces involved. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/carpal_tunnel.htm
http://www.carpaltunnel.com/
http://www.handsurgeon.com/cubital.html
http://www.sandersclinic.net/common_wrist.html

Answer 2

DO NOT see a chiropractor until an M.D. has diagnosed the problem. It certainly sounds like something is pressuring the nerve. Sometimes, surgery is necessary to move a nerve away from things that are pinching it.

A neurologist can run tests (EKGs?), to see where the nerve signals are getting disrupted, if that is the problem.

You should definitely get this looked at asap. The sooner any pressure on the nerve is removed, the better and more complete the recovery will be.

Answer 3

These symptoms indicate that it is likely that something is pressing on your nerves and causing damage. If this condition persists, it may cause permanent damage.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is nerve entrapment/compression of nerves at the wrist and is not likely to cause problems with your entire arm; however, a similar type of nerve entrapment may be occurring in your shoulders, clavicle, or upper arm.

You might consider seeing a chiropractor to see if there is something out of alignment in your shoulders or upper arm that is causing nerve compression. Many times, a chiropractor can spot this type of problem and recommend stretching or exercises to fix the condition. Otherwise, it might be a good idea to see a neurologist.