Thank you for the answers to my Carpal Tunnel question

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I had a good response to my discussion regarding not knowing if had Carpal Tunnel or not after being told 3 different things from 3 Doctors. One person mentioned a pain going down the whole arm which i don't have. but i do have a very painful spot on my wrist under my thumb and if i turn my wrist a certain way the pain is awful or if i pick something up I do not drop anything tho then also at night my hand is painful going up my thumb and then i have tingling in my fingers. Its mostly my wrist pain that annoys me so much and as i go to Pilates there is so much exercises i cannot do as i cant kneel down and put any weight at all on my wrist. Rubbing stuff on it does nothing and seems crazy to me really.

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  • Posted

    Hi Margaret,

    I know everyones experience is different and I was quite fortunate that my carpal tunnel was caught quite early. Having spoken to many people since I have seen how disabling it can be, some older friends who have suffered for years without treatment are left with no muscle pad to the thumb at all. My experience meant I struggled at night with my hands going to sleep when they were simply lying by my sides. The carpal tunnel is the channel in which nerves travel to your hands, when blocked you lose the sensation in your fingers. Your pain seems too acute to be that in my lay mans opinion, but it might be that your experience is more advanced than mine was.

    There was an electrical test they did on my arm where they sent a small electrical charges from my elbow to my hand and registered the response time, This gave them a better understanding of what was going on and enabled my diagnosis.

    A cautionary note however, I have not been left pain free post operation and I now have different issues. Cutting the tie from one pad to the other puts a lot more strain on your fingers and the back of your hands so if they get a hard workout like gardening they ache and throb through every joint. I also find pulling back on something such as the resistance of my dogs lead leaves me with the sensation that I have rubbed my hands with stinging nettles they are alive with sensation. The hand is very intricate and no doctor has ever asked me post operation about my experience which is why I post on here, so others may read it.

    The tenderness goes eventually around the scar area mine took about 12 -18 month before I could drive a spade in the garden without immense pain travelling up my arm. Only you will know if surgery is right for you but, its not a cure all, and whose to say you'll be able to do pilates afterwards or not.

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