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Author Topic:  Carpal Tunnel Anyone?
Jory Simmons

 

From:
Elkhorn, Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 11 Sep 2017 12:08 pm    
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Been having a lot of pain in my wrist lately playinghas become very difficult I am 67 and been playing full-time for 40 years so I'm wondering if any of y'all out there have experience with this I just finally went to the doctor today but they're saying they don't need surgery[/code]
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Jory Simmons
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Tim Heidner

 

From:
Groves, TX
Post  Posted 11 Sep 2017 2:32 pm    
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I have it, it's been hurting pretty bad the last few weeks. My work as a welder and using grinders all day long makes it worse. I get the pain on the outside bone in my wrist and also in my finders, sharp shooting pains in the fingers. Tylenol and Ibuprofen helps.
What did the doctor tell you about treating it? Cortisone shot?
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Jory Simmons

 

From:
Elkhorn, Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 11 Sep 2017 2:36 pm     Carpal Tunnel
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It's carpal tunnel syndrome.My doctor put me on prednisone. If the pain is bad enough you might need surgery…also going on a no salt diet will help a lot.
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Terry Winter

 

From:
Saskatchewan, Canada
Post  Posted 11 Sep 2017 3:38 pm    
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I had carpal tunnel some years ago and I immediately got the surgery..... the pressure and numbness immediately went away and was back to playing in a few weeks. Were done one at a time and was told the longer you wait the less effective the surgery. Nerve damage I guess.
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J R Rose

 

From:
Keota, Oklahoma, USA
Post  Posted 11 Sep 2017 7:11 pm    
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Terry, You said it like it is. The longer you wait to have surgery the more nerve damage you have. Surgery is the only real cure for it. You can do the home remedies like I did then it is to late. I just kept putting it off, should not have. I was having severe pain in the middle of the night in both wrist. Of course no feeling and numbness's and tingling all at the same time. Finally got to the Doctor and he was honest and said I can stop the pain but you have waited to long. The pain stopped the first night but the tingling and numbness's is still their. The Doctor had told me that I might have 50% nerve renewal but no such luck. But I do not have the pain at night!!!. I have to watch how I pick things up, cannot feel if I have it in my fingertips. I can hold the bar petty good but loss of finger feeling with picks is not good. I do not even practice much anymore let alone let someone hear me. So get the SURGERY asap. Thanks, J.R.
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NOTHING..Sold it all. J.R. Rose
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Bill L. Wilson


From:
Oklahoma, USA
Post  Posted 11 Sep 2017 7:54 pm     The Dreaded Carpal Tunnel.
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Thirty yrs. ago I went to a specialist in Carpal Tunnel, he diagnosed me as the worst case he had ever seen, equally in both hands and recommended surgery. As a painter, sheetrocker, and handyman, my hands stayed numb most of the time. But, I didn't have time or the money it would've cost for the surgery, so I opted out. The good doctor recommended wrist braces to work and sleep in. Those braces helped immensely, and I could sleep without my hands and arms going completely numb during the night. Playing guitar or pedal steel in church on Sunday was very painful. So, after dealing with this, I did a recording session with a fiddle player that said she had the same problem and recommended I try some B Complex vitamins. They did seem to help and I noticed a big change if I stayed away from Sugar and Salt. Now that I've retired I still sleep in the wrist braces, and I don't eat salty or sugary foods early on gig days. I quit taking the vitamins yrs. ago and I'm still able to play 4hr gigs on pedal steel and guitar without any trouble. I do recommend the wrist braces for sleeping and I buy the good ones from a medical supply, the lace up ones are about $50 a pair. Good Luck.
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David Mason


From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
Post  Posted 13 Sep 2017 5:50 am    
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Yeah it's a beast. I ALSO have screwy discs in my neck. I had a carpal operation a decade ago, great, I had my neck fused in 2002, great - you want to make sure your neurologist tests all the conductivity, a lot of hand and leg pain is due to vertebrae, and unfortunately you can have MORE THAN ONE THING wrong. Aaak. I'm pushin' a half-dozen. At 59, my nerves basically affect everything I do.

I can't make 'em any better, but I sure can make 'em worse. A lot of it is management now. Almost the definition of old age, what were once diseases to be cured are now conditions to be managed. Rolling Eyes
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Fred Treece


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 13 Sep 2017 12:11 pm    
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One thing most doctors will never suggest is seeing a massage therapist who specializes in trigger point release. It is an easy thing to do before opting for surgery. You may indeed have carpal tunnel syndrome, and surgery may cure it, but it may not address the underlying cause, which could result in a return of symptoms.

There are muscles in the neck that can spasm into a constant state of contraction that cause little knots to form in the muscle fibers. This can also put pressure on nerve conduits that go from the base of the skull to the tips of the fingers, which causes the numbness and tingling in the hands associated with CTS.

As someone else has said here, for us older pickers, it is now about managing our various disorders rather than "curing". Check this book out at the library or buy it. It will help with all kinds of pain management.
http://www.triggerpointbook.com/

PS: I also concur on the B-complex vitamin supplement & low salt and sugar diet. Any exercise that encourages blood flow to the hands and loosens up the arm and shoulder muscles and wrist joints too.
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