carpal tunnel

Underground
1

any remedies besides surgery? had it for a while now and really getting bad with this new job i have. any help would be great

2

bbyslvrbk - any remedies besides surgery? had it for a while now and really getting bad with this new job i have. any help would be great
There are lots of treatments. You hardly give any info though. Is the problem due to repetitive stress from something you're doing in your job?



Many agencies will have a rep on staff who can come in and look at your workstation and give advice to help you set up more ergonomically, better chair, good posture, wrist rests, different type of keyboard, mouse pad rest, and wrist wraps. You should check your health and safety rep for assistence.



How long have you had it. Taking anti-inflammatories? How old are you? One or both hands? Exact location of the pain?





  

3

pain is mostly in my wrists. kind of a dull ache. hands tingling constantly, mostly my left. i can only sleep in certain positions now so as to not have my hands going numb or tingling in the middle of the night. my left arm, when i sleep, can be felt clear up into the middle of my upper arm. i have done alot of repetitive work over the years and worked primarily with my hands. i worked in maintenance, and in industrial construction. so i am guessing the work with the hand and power tools over the years hasn't been good to me. i do different stretches repeatedly thru out the day to help but getting to the end of my rope. thanks for the help guys.

4

Usually carpal tunnel syndrome, an inflammation and swelling (it's believed) in the flexor carpi radialis muscle tendon sheath is caused by repetitive movement, like typing on a keyboard, running a machine in a production line doing the same motions repeatedly, or playing tennis where the stress of hitting the ball overwhelms the resiliance of the forearm muscles. But it could occur anywhere in the body where the limb is doing the same motion repeatedly.



Yours sounds a bit different, as though you developed it due to the vibration of the power tools. I know when I did landscaping during the summer between semesters at school, I'd come home after running a lawnmower, edger and blower for 9-10 hrs/day and the numbness and stress was incredible. It took a while to return to normal.



Any chance you can change occupations? If you're unable to sleep at night, I'd say you need to go in to your MD for a workup. Then, you'll be in a better position to assess your options. You might not have carpal tunnel at all - it could be developing nerve damage of a different kind.



Good luck!



  

5

thanks fellas, WOW mb felt like i was trying to read japanese! i will try what you suggested. i haven't had insurance for 3 years. now that i do, recently, i am getting a complete physical soon.

6

bbyslvrbk - thanks fellas, WOW mb felt like i was trying to read japanese! i will try what you suggested. i haven't had insurance for 3 years. now that i do, recently, i am getting a complete physical soon.
Yeah, I think Martin, while well meaning, is looking too hard. If you've been using a lot of vibrating powertools for a long time, you could have a type of nerve damage. Go see your clinician.



You didn't say what tools you were using that you think were involved, or how long you've been doing this line of work. ISTM, just using a drill or something wouldn't cause this, though a power sander or a lawnmower will.



At any rate, it's not too difficult to diagnose your condition. Good luck.