Ongoing pain , long after wrist surgery

Hi Dave, I'm only 4 weeks post op and I get the stabbing pain you describe.  I would have thought it should have subsided by a year!  Have you been back to see your consultant?

Dave here again. I think that the pain im getting might not be directly related to the carpal tunnel releace but from the radial fracures I got from the motorcycle accident.

Both left and right hands responded well to the CT operation but i still get numbness and bruning in one hand more than the other.   My grip when holging smaller things .ie a pen -wrighting  causes  cramps, real frustrated

Hi Dave

Sounds like you're having pillar pain. There are lots of therapies you can do at home to help with that.  I'm having very slow and slight success and realizing it could be a year or more till things get back to "normal". 

If you can find them, get a rubber (they come in various levels of firmness) spiked physical therapy balls.  The main idea is to desensitize the hand because right now your nerves are on edge.  Lightly rubbing your hand on a variety of textures will help with that.  The balls help some, your jeans, a sweater, your coat, seat of your car, anything that has a different texture from the last thing you touched.  Gentle stretches help some, too.  My GP and his nurse (BEST Dr and nurse ever) also told me to baby the hand as far as lifting and pushing.  Use your good hand to open doors, pick up anything weighing more than a pound or two. I am finding the different texture thing is helping some.  At this point I'll take any relief I can get.

I've also started a number of vitamins and supplements intended to build tendon strength again and muscle strength/mass.  Vitamins B6 and B12, D3, C, Magnesium Citrate (take in small amounts or it will give you the trots), and a good multi vitamin for women.  I figure it can't hurt, especially since I have diabetes. 

Good luck and please keep us posted on how you're doing.

Hi Dave, I had carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand two weeks ago. I'm still having pins and needles in my hand and wrist. Is that something that will eventually be helped by physical therapy. I didn't care for the physical therapist. She saw me once after the surgery and said because I wasn't having pain at the time I only needed a visit once a week (the doctor had presribed two to three times a week). She gave me exericses to do three times a day-heat for ten minutes, nerve gliding exercises, tendon gliding exercises, and ice for ten minutes. Is it possible that I exercised too much and that is causing the pins and needles? The nerve conduction test tested negative, but the surgeon said the ultrasound said I had carpal tunnel.