Hand pain

November 16, 2005

Kay, my husband had the operation and has not had a problem since. His hand,

especially the thumb , index and middle fingers of both hands were involved.

They would become numb with slight pain. For years he would drop his hand

beside the bed and shake his hands for relief. For a long time...I didn't know

what he was doing and too sleepy to ask. :-) He never had swelling. A lot of

people who use the computer get carpal tunnel syndrome from the use of their

hands in that position used to type. I believe them have special keyboards

for this problem. His was probably due to his use of instruments during

surgeries. He doesn't use the computer at all. Here are two sites...you

probably

have already seen them. If it goes on too long....it may cause permanent

problems. The operation was a quick out patient....thing. Keep us posted. Your

doctor will most likely know the difference between a flareup of arthritis or

caral tunnel. My daughter has arthritis in her thumb, with pain and swelling,

and has had pain in her wrist/arm, etc. So it could be either. I have a trigger

finger...it gets stuck at the joint. The doctor increased NSAID and said I

could have a shot in joint. The increased NSAID isn't doing anything. I'm

putting off the operation for it....as it doesn't bother me too much...just in

the morning when I wake up. Sometimes....I have to have my husband open the

finger for me. Just a little annoyance...more than anything. Best regards,

Connie

_http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/brochure/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=5 & topcategory=Han

d_

(http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/brochure/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=5 & topcategory=Hand)

_http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/carpal_tunnel.htm_

(http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/carpal_tunnel.htm)

November 16, 2005

Kay

I am a teacher and I have to write a lot with my right hand. I have the same

symptoms that you describe. Slowly physiotherapy and acupuncture work along

with NSAIDS. My Persian cats will have to wait till I comb them again. I

don't know about your age but corticoids endanger our calcium levels,

especially if you are reaching menopause.

It hurts a lot. I have it from my medium finger till the insertion of

tendons in my right shoulder. When it goes up my neck the muscle

contractures give me horrible headaches.

Warm wax for the hand is used with good results.

I hope you get better, soon

Jacinta

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November 16, 2005

The very best thing I have found for carpal tunnel is a mega dosage of

vitamin B6. Can't remember where I read about it. For me, the dosage is

about 800 mg of time released per day. I would suggest that you start with

400 mg per day and work up since you haven't tried it. I have read

repeatedly that B vites are water soluble and wash out of you any that you

don't need. They are not like oil solubles like A and E and some of the

others which can build up and cause other problems.

A trial of a wrist support you can get at the drug store over the counter is

the other thing that works great. Adjust wearing it to the time you can

tolerate most. I had one prescibed by a doc which worked great.

Unfortunately I let someone use it and I have never seen another one like

it. The one I like covers more of the forearm than most of them OTC, but

those help when there is nothing else. You have to measure your wrist so

take a tape measure and read the box to see what size you need.

I don't know of anything a wrist splint can hurt but I can be sure if there

is doubt in someone's mind, we will hear about it. I have even worn mine

driving on long trip when in a flare with it and found that it really helps.

I had my carpal tunnel diagnosed when I was doing surgery prep info for

cervical fusion. I have never had any idea that my hand pain was carpal

tunnel, but the news from the results of those EMGs ( both carpal tunnels

and compressed nerves in both elbows and shoulders) put me in a zombie likfe

state. I am not normally a 'shopper' by habit but my doc was in the heart of

the best shopping in Atlanta. For some reason known only to the Man Upstairs

I had planned to shop that afternoon after the doc's office. I went to one

of the shopping centers I frequented as a child and bumped into walls for a

few hours till the zombie like state abated. The drive home was 2-3 hours on

a good day, so it's well things worked out as they did.

I have done nothing for my carpal tunnel but the recommended avoidance

things, the B6 and splints. I spose the acupuncturist may have done some

things with it when I went to her, but that will forever be a mystery to me.

I hope I have told you a few things that may help. For some reason propping

the affected ahnd doesn't seem to help carpal tunnel ( There's a long

explanation but I am keeping it short, believe it or not) My X had carpal

tunnel and found that hanging his hand off the bed at night helped his pain

as it would wake him up at night. ( I hear that menopausal women have that

problem, so maybe that's what brought his on. )

Dunno about steroid injections. A smaller dosage over several days might

help if you spaced them out a little. I am so wary of prednisone that I

think of the stuff in 5 mg. intervals and to me 20 mg is a whopping dose. I

have taken it for asthma and arthritis. I think I was prescribed 40 mg at

the most ever for breathing, so I have taken it very sparingly. I know there

are those who take more and for lots longer than I have but I had rather

live with the problems before the steroids than after. My mother has lost

over 6 inches off her adult height and I am fighting like crazy not to do

anything that will shrink me as she has shrunk.

You also might try those OTC rubs with something like aspirin in them. I

keep them at my bedside and beside the typewriter. I do have lots of hand

aches and typing is a problem and I try to get my hands and rest of me as

comfortable as possible before bedtime. There are nights I'd like a 55

gallon barrel of the aspercreme or sportsreme, but I'm not sure it comes in

that size. Maybe after my son is out of internship for nurse anesthetist,

his hospital can look into it for me.(Not serious, of course)

GA

February 26, 2009

I have 2 spinal fusions in my neck & 1 fusion in my lower back. I also

have degnerative disc disease & Oseoporarithis in my spine. I love

this group, although I'm new here. It feels good to communicate with

people that have the same symptoms I have. People without the back

pain just don't understand & they can be very insensitive to our pain

& why we can't do things we used to do. Over the last 2 yrs, my hand

pain has progressively gotten worse. My dr sent me to rheumologist, he

sent me to a neurorologist. Carparl Tunnel has been ruled out but he

suggested I receive injections on the inside of my wrists to help

settle the nerves that are irritated. I'm talking constant pain in my

wrists & hands. I'm wondering if there is another nerve being pinched

in my neck. Or if the arithritis that is turning the bones in my

wrists & hands is causing the nerve pain. Has anyone experienced this?

February 26, 2009

When they did the EMG to rule out carpal tunnel, did they test your cervical

nerves?

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From: marolof011355 <marolof011355@...>

Subject: Hand pain

spinal problems

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009, 11:13 AM