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carpal tunnel- muscle wasing.

Posted , 6 users are following.

erin12272
erin12272

I had surgery on my non dominent hand17 days ago. I was told to keep it in a sling during the day for a week. It had hyperfix over thestitches, padding and a thick bandage.  After 3 days I could remove bandage to shower then put it back on.  I wore it until the stiches were removed. I now have a piece of hyperfix applied for a month.  I was told not to strain it, ie no driving for 10 days, no lifting for weeks.  I had minimal pain. The surgeon said the tightness in the nerve was mild but I have had weakness, numbness and severe wasting of my thumbs for a few years. Apparently the thumbs will not improve.  I still have some numbness in the fingers.  Are there others who have lost the muscles in their thumbs?

2 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • richard64216
    richard64216 erin12272

    Posted

    Thumb atrophy is interesting. After being told I had severe CTS on the right and moderately severe on the left (no symptoms but slightly numb fingertips) and that I should trot off to a hand surgeon soon, I read everything I could find (inc this discusson forum).  In almost all of the online stuff I looked at, thenar atrophy - loss of thumb muscle - was considered the most serious/alarming symptom of CTS. A couple of sources (clinics, medical services) indicated that this if anything meant surgery was fairly urgent and some even said it could mean the hand was so far gone surgery wouldn't be much good anymore.

    The good news about thumb atrophy is that my neurologist said my right thumb was atrophied (or atrophying) more than the left, the hand surgeon, who decided there weren't enough symptms to warrant surgery, said there was some weakness in the thumbs but that thenar mass was still there and the doctor in our health care plan thought my left thumb had atrophied more than the right. I'm going to see another hand surgeon in a couple of weeks, so the jury is still out.

  • Guest
    Guest erin12272

    Posted

    Hi Erin!

    I've read  a surgery can be done to regain strength in the thenar msucle again. From I recall the're taking muscle mass from another part of the hand/another finger and put it as a thenar muscle, since the thenar muscle is said to be the most important muscle of the hand. I'm not sure if the can take another muscle

    from another part of the body instead to replace it.

    Erin, I'm a bit surprised the surgeon said the tightness in your nerve was only mild, since you've got thenar muscle atrophy. But maybe the tightness was mild but the time longer. I would suggest you to practise with a handmaster pluss ball to exercise all of your 18 hand muscles with only one ball. Myself having some thenar muscle atrophy in my dominant hand that had surgery in March 2014 think the pain in the thenar muscle itself is worse than the weakness.

    • erin12272
      erin12272 Guest

      Posted

      The nurse said it is not necessarily indicative of the severity of CTS or sucess of surgery. I have concerns as my joints at the base of my thumb and wrist are degenerated.  Time will tell. Also I am suprised that some people say they were driving and using their hand fully within a day or two of surgery. There is no way I could have and my surgeon said not to drive for about ten days and no lifting for at least a month.  Thanks for the advice about the ball.
    • richard64216
      richard64216 Guest

      Posted

      Hi Ken

      The ball sounds good! I can vouch for pain in the thenar being worse than just about anything. I had it last summer after injuring my left hand (and precipiating CTS as it turns out). Technically, it came from  from CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - nerves goin' nuts). Between not sleeping for 2 weeks and having to take Lyrica (for nerve pain) for two months and sleeping nights - and days - it was a rough ride. All because an inch of my thumb had gone electric!

      Hang in there folks and thanks for sharing your experiences!

  • graham83445
    graham83445 erin12272

    Posted

    Yes, and it's scary. I had myn surgery 6 months ago after being diagnosed 12 years and at first had steroid injections which were great, then they stopped working. I read that losing the thumb musclemis the last stage of CTS Thumb Muscle Atrophy-the muscle affected is the Thenar muscle- th op is called opponensplasty They involve moving an expendable tendon from one part of the hand and attaching that tendon to the thumb to replace the missing function. I am searching to see if there are secific excercises to  build the muscle back up but I fear there aren't.. 

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