Carpal Tunnel

[Ronald Blue]

Since a good number of us here are either retired or near it you've probably been through this. Last year after Covid recovery I had numbness in my left hand and specifically my pinky and ring finger. After all the evaluation I had carpal tunnel and issues with my ulnar nerve in my elbow. Surgery was done which I was put under for. Went well and was back to work in 3 weeks. Fast forward to my right hand now falling asleep and another evaluation was done. (Shock therapy) It was determined it was also in need of release. Surgery was done yesterday under local. From cut in to stitches it was only 6 minutes. Amazing how they have went from it being a major thing opening up a major incision to an incision less than an inch long. It is my understanding there are still a few that do the surgery the old fashioned way. Anyway other than some tenderness and discomfort if I try to do to much all is well. 10 pound weight restriction for 2 weeks.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

I have it Ronald, too, but for me surgery isn’t going to happen until it gets much worse.
I do exercises when the pain begins, and lay off for a few hours. I know I’m a lucky one.
Yes, surgical procedures are so much more advanced in the last few years that I hope my own injury (not hijacking the thread) can be attended to less invasively than even 2 years ago.
Fast healing!

[Brian Tymchak]

7 or 8 years ago I had severe carpal tunnel in both hands due to impingement of the median nerves. It was so bad that I would only be able to work on the keyboard for 2-3 minutes and then have to drop my hands down and shake them until I got feeling back in the fingers. Writing code and documents all day long for decades at poorly designed desks can do it to you... Release surgery was hugely successful. Numbness gone in 4 days in right and immediate relief in left. Back to work in 5 days for the right hand and just 2 days for the left. Incisions less than 1" long at the crease at base of palm. Couldn't find the incisions within a couple months.

I believe there are a few minor long term consequences of the surgery. I get an occasional pain where the muscle bundle was cut. A minute or 2 of massage takes care of that. Also, it is more difficult to touch my little finger to my thumb on both hands. Holding up the middle 3 fingers to indicate 3 is somewhat difficult for me. All minor consequences and I happily live with those given the pain I had before.

[Jerry Bruette]

I had ulnar nerve transposition surgery a little over a year ago to relieve the numbness in my left pinkie and ring finger. Fingers got better but numbness never totally went away. I still have to be careful about how I position my arm on furniture that has arms (couch, computer chair, car seat) or my fingers will go completely numb.

Went to Dr. for check up and evaluation. He ordered up an EMG, that was and interesting test, it didn't show any abnormal results so the Dr. recommended to leave it alone.

Guess I'll just grow old with some numbness in my fingers. It doesn't effect my dexterity so I guess it's livable.

[John K Jordan]

…I had numbness in my left hand and specifically my pinky and ring finger. After all the evaluation I had carpal tunnel and issues with my ulnar nerve in my elbow. …

Maybe three decades ago I had a similar problem, numbness in the two outside fingers on both hands. I’m 72 now so I wasn’t exactly pushing retirement at the time! Multiple electrical nerve conduction tests indicated an ulnar nerve restriction.

It was eventually suggested the problem was due to or made worse by 15 years sitting at the computer (in my home office) for insane hours with crazy keyboarding (I was a mad man at designing and creating software.)

Instead of surgery, a company physical therapist did a home office evaluation and recommended a better chair, conscious attention to better posture including adding a foot rest, wrist braces, and regular stretching exercises. Over a few years I did all this which made a huge difference. In addition, I transitioned from software development to 3d modeling, graphics, animation, video, etc, trading keyboard for mouse and tablet. All this did miracles and the numbness went away and never came back.

Now long retired from computer work I occasionally feel the beginnings of finger cramps with extended detail work with small tools in the shop, mostly at the lathe, carving and such - when I feel it coming I immediately stop and do stretches and relaxation for a bit until the cramps go away.

I don’t know if anyone else has just these types of symptoms or if the analysis/therapy/exercises I do would help but it might be worth evaluation by a good physical/occupational therapist.

JKJ

[Brian Elfert]

I had carpal tunnel release done on my left hand on Dec 30, 2020. I was in the operating room for about 15 minutes total. It took the surgeon longer to do half a dozen injections of the numbing solution than to make the incision and stitch it up. I recall I was at the surgery center for exactly two hours for the whole thing.

I was told to take two days off work. I chose Dec 30th that year specifically because I could take PTO on Dec 30th/31st, and not be back at work for five days. The worst part was keeping the incision dry for seven days. I bought special waterproof dressings to place over the incision. I could wash my hands with soap and water and not get the incision wet. A shower still required a waterproof glove on my hand. I usually changed the dressing after every shower. I need to have surgery in the next year or two on my right hand. That recovery will be worse because it is my dominant hand. I will probably want to take more time off for that one.

Edit: My surgery was in 2020, not the year 2000. Typo in the year originally.

[Paul F Franklin]

I had release surgery done on both hands 10 or more years ago (I was in my 50s) after experiencing numbness and tingling. Wearing wrist supports at night to hold the wrists in neutral position can help relieve the symptoms and slow the progression. I still wear them at the suggestion of the surgeon, although he told me at the time I would likely need to repeat the release in the future.

A word of caution to those who, like me, put up with it or ignore the symptoms for too long. By the time I had the surgery (which was outpatient and very quick) I already had some permanent nerve damage and as a result, don't have nearly the dexterity with, for example, small electronic parts or tiny screws that I one had. Even shuffling cards is difficult. It feels like my fingers are always slightly numb. I wish I had known then that putting up with the symptoms could lead to permanent damage.

One thing that my surgeon pointed out as a warning sign: If you look at the thick part of your palm at the base of the thumb, the skin should be taut over the muscles of your thumb. Mine is kind of loose and wrinkled which he said indicates atrophy of the muscles caused by the nerve damage. At least that's how I understood his explanation.

Bottom line, if you wake up in the morning with numb hands, or have numbness and/or tingling during the day, get it evaluated. The nerve conduction test is non invasive and quick (although it's weird to see your hand and arm twitching like a science experiment) and the treatments and/or surgery isn't bad either.

[Sam Force]

Sounds like steps in the right direction, in 2002 I had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrist, ulnar release on both elbows and then finished the year having both shoulders worked on. My orthopedic surgeon suggested I look into disability but I pushed back and did not want to go that route. It was a rough year but I survived, managed to work for an18 years before retiring. Though there was a change in occupation that was less use of arms/hands. still have some trouble with left elbow and cannot work overhead over 1 to 2 minutes, getting old is not for sissies

[Brian Elfert]

I didn't realize carpal tunnel can come back after surgery. I thought once the ligament is cut that is it. All of my symptoms were gone the instant I had the surgery done. It appears that most people who have it come back wait it too long for the original surgery.

[Ronald Blue]

That was what was going on in my left hand. I initially blamed it on Covid (I had a rough go with it) and it could be indirectly. I couldn't sleep unless I sat in the chair and as a result leaned on my arm sleeping. Whether it had anything to do with it or not I'll never know. My ring finger is about 95% normal now and pinky is about 75%. They may continue to improve a little more. Mine was in March 2021. The Dr said it takes the nerves a while to heal.

[jared herbert]

I had carpel tunnel surgery done about 15 years ago on both hands at the same time. My case was in the fairly early stages of damage so it went well and I have good dexterity in both my hands. If you have symptoms get it fixed. I have a neighbor, same occupation as me-farming, who just let his go. Now he can’t even grip a wrench to change oil in his pickup. The muscles in his hands have deteriorated and there is no way to get them back

[Roger Feeley]

I was starting to suffer many years ago so I changed to the Microsoft natural keyboard. It’s one of the ones where the keys for each hand are divided and angled. That and an ergonomic mouse fixed me right up.

[Jack Frederick]

In Aug of ‘21 I broken the metatarsal just below the knuckle of my Rt pinkie. It didn’t heal perfectly and the finger now closes inside my ring finger by a bit. That led to a discussion with the Othopedic doc. I told him he didn’t splint it correctly. I said you may be a bone guy but I’m a mechanic. He took it pretty well and the X-ray showed I was correct. Not much of a victory given the result. In doing the PT I saw this poster of the hand. In trying to PT my way out of the mechanical issue with the bones, I developed CT across the hand. I stopped the PT and my issue went away, fortunately. Taht heavy band at the wrist is the small area that all the tendons pass through and the one they cut to relieve CT Syndrome.

[Paul F Franklin]

I don't believe they cut the ligament through and through, but rather cut a notch across it about 1/3 deep. That allows the ligament to stretch enough to relive the pressure on the nerves and the notch fills in with scar tissue. At least that's the procedure my surgeon did; maybe there are other approaches.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Carpal tunnel is generally to open the channel where the ligament and nerve travel through the wrist joint. Repetitive banging with the hands can be a major culprit. I had a client whose job at an air conditioning factory was to make the intake screens. Screening was cut, placed over an outer frame and then he placed and inner frame on top and banged the inner frame down until it snapped into place. Mallets were available for the job, but he found it faster to bang the frames together with the palms of his hands. After 15 years at that job, his hands were so debilitated that he could no longer operate his motorcycle brake and clutch. play guitar etc. He had the operations which helped and when he went back to work he did use the mallets, but scar tissue built up within a couple years, his hands became just as disabled and he ended up on social security disability. Repetitive use isn't limited to vocational activities either. Folks often do not realize that their seemingly harmless actions can lead to such problems.