1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Carpal Tunnel

swelling

Posted , 5 users are following.

amy27161
amy27161

Have carpel tunnel, Been to Neuro will see hand surgeon the 27th. No one has done anything for the pain and the swelling is awful. Can't see my knuckles,lots of redness,fingers swelled at times. Wearing a brace,using ice.

Also have moderate arthritis in hand.

Any suggestions appreciated. Arms & shoulders getting sore as well.

0 likes, 19 replies

19 Replies

  • jeremydpbland
    jeremydpbland amy27161

    Posted

    Marked swelling is not typical of carpal tunnel syndrome and suggests that there is another problem, perhaps arthritic in nature, which may be causing carpal tunnel syndrome as a secondary effect. If that is the case then treating the underlying disorder may be more effective than operating on the CTS. Dr J Bland
    • amy27161
      amy27161 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Certainly hope other options are offered besides just surgery.So far the neuro said nerve damage,CT and arthritis. No doubt surgery won't cure them all. Thanks

    • amy27161
      amy27161

      Posted

      Thanks,just wish I could get rid of the pain. No one wants to address that.
  • Peacock50
    Peacock50 amy27161

    Posted

    If you haven't consulted a physiotherapist about your combination of problems it might be worth doing. Arthritis can undoubtedly be linked to CTS and from what I can gather after surgery you may still have problems. I've been managing my arthritis and CTS with the help of a physiotherapist since April 2014. I went against advice to have surgery and at the moment I'm coping pretty well with splinting at night and a daily programme of exercises. Judging by the constant stream of anxious post op postings on here caution seems sensible. Good Luck!

    • amy27161
      amy27161 Peacock50

      Posted

      Thank you.I sincerely hope the surgeon has options other than surgery!
  • jim70956
    jim70956 amy27161

    Posted

    Hi Amy........ I have suffered from carpal tunnell and had the surgery for it in September last year. Pre surgery I spent many nights sleeping in a chair because the pain in my hand and arm was horrific. I had to go through each of the steps, doctor, nerve conduction tests then meeting the surgeon. The operation is painless and I actually sat up and watched him do it for me. He pointed out that my median nerve was very pale through being trapped for a long time and went on to say 50/50 whether it would recover or not. I had some pain for a week after the operation and treated it with 40 mg paracetamol. I must say that since the operation I have not had any pain and no nights out of bed but I did have numbness in my thumb and first three fingers. This is now recovering and I have full use of my hand. The surgeon has now signed me off. Obviously I am not an expert on CT but I have A feeling that your swelling is purely down to your arthritus. 
    • amy27161
      amy27161 jim70956

      Posted

      thanks for your reply,much appreciated. I will let everyone know what the Dr. has to say.Sure has been a miserable experience!
  • jim70956
    jim70956 amy27161

    Posted

    Amy. I was going to put some more infirmation in yesterday but I had sime difficulty with either my ipad or this site.........I was going to tell you that I too have some arthritus in the hand that was operated on it affects my pinkie finger and my index finger but as I said in my earlier letter, when I had my nerve conduction tests done I was told that it was severe in my right hand (my dominant hand) and bad but not severe in my left hand. I had suffered from night cramps in my right hand for a number of years but at the beginng of 2016 I really suffered with it. Horrible pains when the feeling was coming back, very itchy palms that felt like wasps under my skin  so it was a very easy decision for me to have surgery. My son broke his ankle very badly some years ago, and arthritis has set in the joint. He was advised to take cod liver oil tablets to relieve the pain, and once they get into your system it does ease it considerably. There are lots of different outcomes to the operation as you can read from this site. Its taken me seven months to recover 95% and each day a little more. I read some information "somewhere" that it is worthwhile asking about you potential surgeons success rate, and they are obliged to tell you the truth, apparently there are giid ones and very good ones. I must have been lucky because looking at the palm of my hand you would never know that I had had surgery on it. So with that I wish you "good luck" and please keep us all informed, because this site was vey helpful to me.

    • amy27161
      amy27161 jim70956

      Posted

      Good to know all this Jim. I will ask the surgeon lots of questions! I am finding because my dominate (right hand) is so bad the rest of me is getting just as stiff. Perhaps from fighting the pain. No one seems to offer anything for the pain and that wears on you. The left hand is about 50% better but creeping up quickly. I would be thrilled to get the swelling down. Ice doesn't help much. I will let you know how it all goes.Thanks so much

    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland amy27161

      Posted

      I suspect the reason no-one is explicitly offering anything for the pain is because there have been no reliable studies demonstrating that anything works for the pain of CTS. NSAID's, diuretics and Gabapentin have been tried in randomised trials and were no better than placebo. A neutral angle wrist splint at tnight is usually the simplest self help measure. If on the other hand you actually have pain from arthritiis, as suggested by the swelling, then NSAIDs might help (Ibuprofen etc).

      I do wish people (the doctors not the patients) would stop describing their NCS results as "mild/moderate/severe". These terms actually mean nothing as one person doing NCS will use 'severe' for the same hand that the next examiner calls 'mild'. There are some well developed formal grading scales for CTS and patients should demand that their doctors use one of them when describing results. Dr J Bland

    • amy27161
      amy27161 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Wow ! So much to learn and many questions yet to ask.

      The neuro fellow said it was moderate signs of arthritis,subchondral sclerodis.I think that means arthritis ??

      Thank you so much

    • jim70956
      jim70956 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Dr J Bland. Its good to see that you are taking the time to offer advice and be involved. One good point that you made was the "formal grading scales" for CTS. I personally was not aware of this, and it was not quoted to me by the guy that did the nerve conduction tests or the surgeon himself. Perhaps other followers of this discussion will find it helpful when appropriate.

    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland amy27161

      Posted

      Subchondral sclerosis is indeed a sign of osteoarthritis

      jim70959 - thankyou. The best estabished neurophysiological grading scales for CTS are either the Italian one (Padua) or the Canterbury scale - they are very similar. Several others have been suggested.

    • amy27161
      amy27161 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Update.

      I am told I have Polymyalgai Rheumatica. It's a mouthful ! They have me on 20 mg. 2 x day Predesone for 2 weeks,then 20 mg a day if the blood work is good.

      Some side effects but worth it to ease the awful pain at last. My first CT surgery is May 2,the second on May 16th  . I will keep everyone posted.Thank you for listening

    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland amy27161

      Posted

      PMR (Polymyalgia Rheumatica) usually responds spectacularly well to steroids - patients should feel pretty much cured 24h after starting steroids if that is the right diagnosis. Interestingly CTS is also very responsive to steroids so it is possible that the short course of oral steroids might also have an impact on the nerves in the wrists. Dr J Bland
    • amy27161
      amy27161 jeremydpbland

      Posted

      Having first CT on Tuesday. PMR is 90% better !!

      I am on 20mg Prednisone 2 X day. It says no food before surgery but I can not take the Pred. without. Upsets tummy too much. Do I skip one pill ??

      Appreciate any ideas.

      Amy

    • jeremydpbland
      jeremydpbland amy27161

      Posted

      The no food before surgery thing is usually only if a general anaesthetic is planned. Carpal tunnel surgery is usually done under local - worth asking your surgical team about that. Dr J Bland
    • amy27161
      amy27161

      Posted

      Now what !! Having CT surgery tomorrow. Sneezing with a minor soar throat.

      Really don't want to cancel !! Is this OK to go forward?Amy

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.