carpal tunnel 'cured'

[kerneldrop]

There are muscle stripping techniques, that physical therapists, chiropractors, and some better trained massage therapists can do that may help.

I'm fortunate to live in a city that has a large PT school.
I went to a buddy of mine that works there.
He did that stripping on my calves and hams. It's crazy how you can feel the bumps smooth out.
I use a box wrench to do it at the house...he had some tools made in a shop.

I also have a torn meniscus in each knee, and I have a disc injury that i suffered 25 years ago from a front squat.
Oh and chronic hip bursitis on my right side that flares up anytime I do a leg press.
I won't get any of if fixed...so i just truck along.

 

[Poppy]

@knucklegary I think that the patent for those tools has expired, so they can now be bought online. Still you need someone to show you what needs to be done for your particular injury.

I am not a proponent for surgery, although there are times when it is necessary. Remember that as you age, your conditions will likely get worse, and you may become a poorer candidate for surgery.

My Dad finally agreed to cataract surgery, but he couldn't get medical clearance, and we had to take his car away from him.

In the least have your buddy take a look at your forearms.

 

[turbodog]

...

I am not a proponent for surgery, although there are times when it is necessary. Remember that as you age, your conditions will likely get worse, and you may become a poorer candidate for surgery.
...

Pain and limited mobility will cause muscle weakness to some degree at some time... eventually it spirals into a feedback loop and by that time surgery & recovery are less effective.

I just lived through ~2 years of various remediation measures for my disc, but was 100% onboard w/ cutting when the time came, exhausting all other measures.

 

[Poppy]

I just recently started having CTS symptoms. <snip>
Eventually I'll have to have it/surgery because I have an office-clerical like job that'll keep it inflamed. Lifting weights and shooting pistols aren't doing it any favors either.
I just ordered a raised mouse pad and keyboard thingy.
I feel like my grip strength and forearm strength are weakening...but they stay fatigued from lifting so it's hard to pinpoint.

I don't see how that will help. In fact if you are referring to a wrist support, that MAY make it worse in that you'll be applying additional pressure on the carpal transverse ligament pictured earlier on.

I much prefer a thumb operated trackball.
The "saddle joint" of the thumb is much better designed for the coordinated fine motor movements of a mouse, than the shoulder and wrist is.

In using a trackball like this: one can rest the palm of his hand, on the "mouse" and relax his forearm, and shoulder muscles. When using a standard mouse, I find that I also have my thumb and pinkie a little bit flexed, and dragging on the desk surface to guide fine motor control. Not so, with a track ball.

This baby is a quarter of a centurion. Notice it is hard wired

They are also made where one uses his index finger to control the ball. NOT a good idea.

 

[jtr1962]

@jtr1962 I suggest that you follow the science, and don't jump to the spinal surgery solution.

I wouldn't get spinal surgery at all. Too many things could go wrong. For now my "solution" is simply to avoid or limit activities I know aggravate it. For example, a few months back I made a concrete slab for a shed I'm going to buy or build (haven't decided which). I did the slab 1/4 at a time. Total size is 11' x 10'. I needed about 20 60 pound bags of concrete for each section. I bought a cement mixer for the job. That helped a lot versus mixing it with a shovel. I rested a few days between each section. After I finished my hands still hurt, but not to the point of total disability.

I'm not even sure if it'll be worthwhile getting a carpal tunnel release at this point. The earliest that would be possible would be when I'm eligible for Medicare in 5 years and 3 months. If my mother is still alive then, I'll have to wait anyway for a while. Nobody to take care of her while I'm recovering. My brother still has six years to go until he retires.

 

[turbodog]

I wouldn't get spinal surgery at all. Too many things could go wrong....

I had to balance the risk of what could minutely possibly go wrong against the daily challenges of pain, limited range of motion, and curtailed activities.

FWIW, cervical disc fusion has, so far, been very easy. Yesterday was 6 weeks. One more week to followup x-ray/visit and am cut loose.

Learned I have 5 clients with the same surgery. All of them said practically the same thing 1) woke up pain free 2) should have done it sooner.

 

[turbodog]

I don't see how that will help. In fact if you are referring to a wrist support, that MAY make it worse in that you'll be applying additional pressure on the carpal transverse ligament pictured earlier on.

I much prefer a thumb operated trackball.
The "saddle joint" of the thumb is much better designed for the coordinated fine motor movements of a mouse, than the shoulder and wrist is.

In using a trackball like this: one can rest the palm of his hand, on the "mouse" and relax his forearm, and shoulder muscles. When using a standard mouse, I find that I also have my thumb and pinkie a little bit flexed, and dragging on the desk surface to guide fine motor control. Not so, with a track ball.

This baby is a quarter of a centurion. Notice it is hard wired

View attachment 31687


They are also made where one uses his index finger to control the ball. NOT a good idea.

Yup. _Good_ and _proper_ quality keyboards, mice, and posture are important.

I've seen good results with some of the gaming mice (high resolution). A good mouse w/ hit the target w/o requiring additional movement/correction.

 

[bykfixer]

One thing I liked about DOS was key strokes. I hated a mouse at first. So I kept my "word perfect" short cut template for a while. People said "track ball" and it wasn't long before my thumb was constantly sore. So I use my laptop touchpad a lot.

 

[kerneldrop]

I much prefer a thumb operated trackball.
The "saddle joint" of the thumb is much better designed for the coordinated fine motor movements of a mouse, than the shoulder and wrist is.

My wife said I probably have cubital tunnel syndrome.

 

[Poppy]

My wife said I probably have cubital tunnel syndrome.

Cubital tunnel syndrome, otherwise known as Ulnar neuropathy at the elbow, will display symptoms of numbness/tingly sensations at the pinky, and half of the finger next to it. Not the thumb and index finger.

It is entrapment at the "funny bone" I am sure that there are youtube videos of how to tinel's test the ulnar nerve. It can be trapped at the cubital tunnel at the elbow, or at Guyon's canal at the wrist.

Your PT buddy should be able to give you exercises that might help. They are simple stretching exercises similar to the one's that @bykfixer described above for CTS.

 

[Poppy]

I had to balance the risk of what could minutely possibly go wrong against the daily challenges of pain, limited range of motion, and curtailed activities.

FWIW, cervical disc fusion has, so far, been very easy. Yesterday was 6 weeks. One more week to followup x-ray/visit and am cut loose.

Learned I have 5 clients with the same surgery. All of them said practically the same thing 1) woke up pain free 2) should have done it sooner.

Undoubtedly there are times that surgery is necessary. It is an individual choice. Many hesitate even when the choice is clear to everyone around them. Yet, 1 in a 100 or 1 in a 1,000 are great for a betting man, or 1 in 10,000 are odds that are worth putting your life on the line. If however YOU are that 1 in 10,000 who has a devastating surgical outcome, well... what is to be said about that?

I am delighted that you had a good outcome. I like you!

Please keep this in mind. There is a high percentage of people who have spinal fusions, who endup having another one at the level above or below the previous one, in five to seven years. So although you are presently out of pain, you have to remember that you are not the man that you were before your original injury.

I suggest that you do some gentle stretching exercises each day to maintain whatever range of motion that you have. I am sure that your PT gave them to you. Do them. Perhaps the most important thing is to NOT reinjure yourself. Avoid roller coasters and other whip-like rides, horseback riding is probably a bad idea, bumper cars, or other activities where your head is likely to get jerked around.

Be well, and stay well, my friend

Poppy

EDIT: I forgot to add:
Avoid car accidents!
The rule is to leave 3 mississippi's between you and the car in front. I leave 4 or 5. That extra 40 feet has a number of times, given additional time for that idiot behind me to come to a stop before hitting me.