Thread: Does this sound like Carpal Tunnel

John could e a pinched nerve in the neck/shoulder area or even worse get it medically checked out either way.

John, my own daughter had the same tingling feeling in her fingers of her left hand.
Had to do something with nerves in her hand, it seems like this happen often.
After consulting her family doctor, and a second opinion in the hospital, she got a small operation in her hand to get rid of this feeling.
So the best thing you can do is to tell this to your own family doctor.
Good luck, Ad

Grumpy it does sound like CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome) I know I have had it for twenty years, yes I had the operation "twice" unfortunatly in 20% of cases the op does not not work ( lucky me) it has improved but I am left with some symptoms that are permenent. Get your G.P. to refer you to a hand specialist, if you ignore it it will only get worse and you will start getting pain and dropping things etc. I wish you well let us know how you get on

Hey John,

I had the same feeling (or lack of ) for a while and the GP had me booked in for an Op, when I mentioned it to my Chiro Doctor, he did some work on my elbow and my neck and shoulders, and when I left I could crack a walnut single handed, i haven't mentioned it to the GP since, when my hands get a bit fuzzy, I know I'm due to see the Bone Cracker.

HazzaB

Numbness in only two fingers and a thumb dosnt sound like carpal to me, but I aint no Neurosurgeon. Book in tomorrow with your GP for a referral to a Neuro. If you have Private it will be ok, if you don’t, then don’t wait one minute getting a referral.

I had carpal and it was the worst thing ever. Couldn’t sleep as every hour I would wake with my hand scrunched in excruciating pain. I ended up making a splint from a wooden spoon, tea towel and roll of masking tape so I could keep my hand “open” all night. it’s a #### of a thing carpal. It literally took 8 months out of my life as I couldn’t do a single thing with out pain.

CTS is often marked by a burning sensation in the skin of the palm.

Finger tendons + the main nerve run through a band of ligament in the wrist called the CT. If the tendons swell pressure is put on the nerve.

Sometimes stretching exercises can slim down the tendons.

I can recommend a crowd called Melb Hand Rehab. Specialist physios for hands.

Surgery is often sucessful but there's a risk of nerve damage, and your hand may be fairly useless for months afterwards.

Thanks for the replies so far. I have every intention of seeing a G.P as soon as I can get an appointment.

An excerpt from this web site (I love Google )

What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers. Some carpal tunnel sufferers say their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. The symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night, since many people sleep with flexed wrists. A person with carpal tunnel syndrome may wake up feeling the need to "shake out" the hand or wrist. As symptoms worsen, people might feel tingling during the day. Decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. In chronic and/or untreated cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away. Some people are unable to tell between hot and cold by touch.

I know of the dangers of self diagnosis, but I have all the symptoms in red text so I'm off to the G.P. ASAP.

And the doctors diagnosis is...............................................

Attachment 127197

yep, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Will make an appointment with the neurologist tomorrow to confirm.

The doctors options for treatment were cortisone injections or surgery. LOML recently had a cortisone injection in her shoulder to help with pain after a workplace injury. She said it hurt like hell and it knocked her around for a few days, but she is now totally pain free.............. but for how long, who knows. There are no guarantees with surgery either.

just so people know what tinels and phalens tests are

tinels sign is positive if the symptoms (usually pain) are stimulated by tapping on the anterior (front) of the wrist at the location where the median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel (the region of the wrist that has tunnel formed by the shape of the carpal or wrist bones and the roof of the tunnel is a ligamentous structure called the flexor retinaculum).

Phalens test is positive if the pain is stuimulated by flexing the wrists against each other (like an inverted prayer position) in which case the carpal tunnel is compressed and the median nerve is compromised.

The operation discussed above is usually a fasciotomy in which the carpal tunnel is deroofed by cutting the flexor retinaculum and reducing the compressive pressue on the nerve. Lerss pressure - less symptoms.

I hope it all works out and have you tried massage or myofascial release before slicing the retinaculum?

Good luck

I have had the CT op on my left wrist and it has left me with some (very small) amount of inhibited movement (nerve damage) but I now don't wake 5 or 6 times a night with half my hand "dead". I would do it again and probably will sometime in the future as I have the same problem developing in my right hand.

If it is your little finger and about half the next finger that tingles then that's another problem.

Yes, GJ, when you speak to the neuro guy & if surgery is recommended ask what % of cases result in nerve damage, and what the consequences of cutting the carpal ligament are.

"If it is your little finger and about half the next finger that tingles then that's another problem"

yes that is compression of the other main nerve entering the hand - the ulnar nerve, which supplies sensation to the medial (little finger side) of the hand and the two fingers as discussed.

What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers. Some carpal tunnel sufferers say their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. The symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night, since many people sleep with flexed wrists. A person with carpal tunnel syndrome may wake up feeling the need to "shake out" the hand or wrist. As symptoms worsen, people might feel tingling during the day. Decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. In chronic and/or untreated cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away. Some people are unable to tell between hot and cold by touch.

I had CTS in both hands (due to job) and I had pins 'n' needles and pain in the two middle fingers of the right hand but also made my grip weak. I persisted with this problem for over 2 years till it go so painful (wake me up during night), I had the op done. The symptoms disappeared almost instantly but had some wasting on the thumb muscles (Dr said I took too long to have op). No other prob's since 1992.
The left hand wasn't as bad and had it done in 1999 and no prob's since.

I hope it all works out OK for you.

I had CT, both hands. Pain was extreme of a night and it was bad during the day.
Had the ops and what relief. No further problems with CT.

Slept through one op and watched the second.