cts: carpal tunnel syndrome

Hear Again

Hear Again

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hi everyone,

last monday my doctor diagnosed me with a severe case of cts or carpal tunnel syndrome in my left hand.

some of the symptoms i've been experiencing include numbness, weakness, tingling, pain and burning. it was recommended that i wear a splint 24 hours a day 7 days a week and to follow-up with surgery. i asked if i could try physical therapy first, so my doctor agreed and recommended 6-12 weeks of therapy. if physical therapy does not help improve my symptoms, then i will proceed with surgery.

have any of you had cts before or other types of rsi's (repetitive stress injuries)? if so, did you handle your condition by wearing a splint, having physical therapy and/or surgery? all of the above? if you elected to have surgery, was it successful?

finally, what caused your rsi? my cts was caused by years of using my left hand (i'm left handed) by typing on the computer (i've been using computers since 1984), the repeated stress of using my white cane, holding my guide dog's harness, signing my name and always holding/gripping objects in my left hand.

how about you?
 
Sometimes, I have RSI -- Just got one recenrly on my right, when I went bowling... it went away though.
 
JClarke said:
Sometimes, I have RSI -- Just got one recenrly on my right, when I went bowling... it went away though.
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that's good, jake. unfortunately for me, cts is a progressive rsi which means that if symptoms are not taken care of, the muscles can atrophy. the thumb can also become permanently unusable.
 
Hear Again said:
that's good, jake. unfortunately for me, cts is a progressive rsi which means that if symptoms are not taken care of, the muscles can atrophy. the thumb can also become permanently unusable.
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Fortunately, it was temparary. But I can understand if people use a lot of time on the keyboard or whatever can cause RSI as well.
 
JClarke said:
Fortunately, it was temparary. But I can understand if people use a lot of time on the keyboard or whatever can cause RSI as well.
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yes, this is exactly what happened in my case. i've been typing on computer keyboards for the past 25 years. i've also been using guide dogs (2) since 1992 (holding onto the harness when the dog has a strong pull causes pain and the development of rsi).
 
Yeah, like myself, I am in the government and have lot of time in front of a PC, but always understadn to take a break and whatnot.
 
Hear Again said:
hi everyone,

last monday my doctor diagnosed me with a severe case of cts or carpal tunnel syndrome in my left hand.

some of the symptoms i've been experiencing include numbness, weakness, tingling, pain and burning. it was recommended that i wear a splint 24 hours a day 7 days a week and to follow-up with surgery. i asked if i could try physical therapy first, so my doctor agreed and recommended 6-12 weeks of therapy. if physical therapy does not help improve my symptoms, then i will proceed with surgery.

have any of you had cts before or other types of rsi's (repetitive stress injuries)? if so, did you handle your condition by wearing a splint, having physical therapy and/or surgery? all of the above? if you elected to have surgery, was it successful?

finally, what caused your rsi? my cts was caused by years of using my left hand (i'm left handed) by typing on the computer (i've been using computers since 1984), the repeated stress of using my white cane, holding my guide dog's harness, signing my name and always holding/gripping objects in my left hand.

how about you?
Click to expand...

I've been lucky. I don't have any of the above. However, my mother has severe arthritis in her hands and thumb joints. It got so bad in one hand that she actually had to have the thumb reconstructed. She had completely worn all the cartilage in her thumb. They ended up taking bone from somewhere and transplanting it in her thumb. She was in a cast for 6wks and had to have physical therapy for another 4 wks. She said it was one of the most painful things she's ever had done. It's now been about two years since she had the surgery, and while her thumb is no longer "normal", she does have a good bit of function.
 
JClarke said:
Yeah, like myself, I am in the government and have lot of time in front of a PC, but always understadn to take a break and whatnot.
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that's good. taking breaks is important. that's what my doctor advised i do after surgery so my cts symptoms don't come back.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
I've been lucky. I don't have any of the above. However, my mother has severe arthritis in her hands and thumb joints. It got so bad in one hand that she actually had to have the thumb reconstructed. She had completely worn all the cartilage in her thumb. They ended up taking bone from somewhere and transplanting it in her thumb. She was in a cast for 6wks and had to have physical therapy for another 4 wks. She said it was one of the most painful things she's ever had done. It's now been about two years since she had the surgery, and while her thumb is no longer "normal", she does have a good bit of function.
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that's good. pain is one thing i'm afraid of experiencing after cts surgery. i've read that recovery and full use of one's hand can take anywhere from several months to a year. i admit that i'm a little frightened about what would happen if the cts surgery wasn't successful and i ended up losing the use of my left hand since i'm left handed. i'm also concerned about anethesia. from what i understand, the surgery is done under local, but it can also be done under general. if i had to pick between the two, i'd choose general only because i'm too chicken to have local. at the same time, i need to be careful of general anethesia because as a person who has bipolar, anethesia can trigger manic episodes.
 
I haven't got this condition so I can't offer any advice.

However I wish you luck in whatever course of action you consider best.
 
typeingtornado19 said:
i really hope you dont have to go for surgery.
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i do too, but my doctor said chances are very high that physical therapy won't work given my severe case of cts.

however, since she knows that i'd like to exhaust other options and consider surgery as a last resort, she agreed to prescribe 6-12 weeks of pt.

we will see how it goes. my first pt session is on thursday.

if pt doesn't work, then i'll opt for surgery.
 
dreama said:
I haven't got this condition so I can't offer any advice.

However I wish you luck in whatever course of action you consider best.
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thanks, dreama. <smile> i'll be sure to keep you posted on what i decide.
 
I did have CTS last April, then I waited 3 months. It was painful for 3 months that I worked for dishwasher for heavy lift in my right hand, but it did go both hand. Lucky it just one hand that is mostly painful that I had trouble sleeping every night. So I couldn't handle it then went to doctor to decided on surgery. I am so glad that I did get the surgery. It went well and now it's been 3 months that I had surgery. It is great that I can sleep normal and move my hand normal. I am so glad I took the surgery. My doctor said that 3% come back for second surgery so it won't be likely to happen again. That is good thing. Good luck with you, surgery is best than PT.
 
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