Has anyone on the forum had surgery for CTS? I have developed the beginning stages of what seems CTS and am going to have a visit with the do in the next week or two. Anyway...was wondering for those of you that have had surgery...how long were off activity in the hand/wrist that had surgery and was it painful after?
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Carpal Tunnel
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CTS is a very specific and often misdiagnosed injury. Please make sure your doctor does an NCV to confirm that you have CTS.
Also, although repetitive and traumatic activities casue CTS, there are a lot of underlying conditions that also cause CTS (diabetes, obesity, pregnancy, hypertension, thyroid problems and rheumatiod arthritis come to mind), for that reason your doc should eliminate the underlying conditions as the cause (if he doesnt the CTS will re-occur).
The only reason i mentino this is because if you have tendonitis (which is painful and suuuucks and takes forever to resolve- I have tendonitis) and you have CTS surgery, well, it won't help.
Also there are a lot of way to treat CYS without surgery that your doc will probably try - cock-up wrist splints, injections and exercises.
If you do need CTS surgery depending on the surgery (open or endoscopic)you will likely have almost immediate relief of the CTS symptoms, and you may be able to go back to your usual work in two to six weeks (depends on what you do) but if you are talking about weight lifting but it could take up several months to completely heal. They are cutting a ligament (ouch!)
If you do end up with surgery I'd try to get the Doc to refer you to "work hardening" or Physical therapy" - it's like having a personal trainer get you back into shape after surgery and they make sure you have proper form and it's covered by insurance.
Also, although repetitive and traumatic activities casue CTS, there are a lot of underlying conditions that also cause CTS (diabetes, obesity, pregnancy, hypertension, thyroid problems and rheumatiod arthritis come to mind), for that reason your doc should eliminate the underlying conditions as the cause (if he doesnt the CTS will re-occur).
The only reason i mentino this is because if you have tendonitis (which is painful and suuuucks and takes forever to resolve- I have tendonitis) and you have CTS surgery, well, it won't help.
Also there are a lot of way to treat CYS without surgery that your doc will probably try - cock-up wrist splints, injections and exercises.
If you do need CTS surgery depending on the surgery (open or endoscopic)you will likely have almost immediate relief of the CTS symptoms, and you may be able to go back to your usual work in two to six weeks (depends on what you do) but if you are talking about weight lifting but it could take up several months to completely heal. They are cutting a ligament (ouch!)
If you do end up with surgery I'd try to get the Doc to refer you to "work hardening" or Physical therapy" - it's like having a personal trainer get you back into shape after surgery and they make sure you have proper form and it's covered by insurance.
I'm not sure if it's CTS or not. The symptoms sound like it, but I'll be going to get evaluated in a few weeks.
I was having my fingertips and pads going near-numb and feeling like when you wake up and have slept on your arm and ahve the pins-n-needles feeling more often than I like. I notice it nearly always when the arm is parallel with mid-section (typing and writing) and since my area is in teaching/getting ready to teach English, I spend a great deal typing, writing, grading, etc. I also noticed that both my wrists are getting sore also when writing and typing. After putting my arms both back in anatomical position, the feelings go away.
I have full insurance, so I'll get all the tests done and whatnot that I need. The last thing I want to have to do is get surgery and put me out of throwing and/or lifting for an extended amount of time.
But regardless, I'm gonna go get some ART before I do anything else related with a medical procedure.
I was having my fingertips and pads going near-numb and feeling like when you wake up and have slept on your arm and ahve the pins-n-needles feeling more often than I like. I notice it nearly always when the arm is parallel with mid-section (typing and writing) and since my area is in teaching/getting ready to teach English, I spend a great deal typing, writing, grading, etc. I also noticed that both my wrists are getting sore also when writing and typing. After putting my arms both back in anatomical position, the feelings go away.
I have full insurance, so I'll get all the tests done and whatnot that I need. The last thing I want to have to do is get surgery and put me out of throwing and/or lifting for an extended amount of time.
But regardless, I'm gonna go get some ART before I do anything else related with a medical procedure.
Great. I was just going to tell you that you are crazy if you don't try ART first.
It is a coincidence I happen to come across this post - I was having a discussion on this exact topic yesterday with a prominant chiropractor in my area (very high credentials, worked with powerlifters, armwrestlers, and many people who think they have carpal tunnel)..Anyways, what he has all three of the groups do on a regular basis is wrist exersizes with thick rubber bands (the kind you find wrapped around broccoli). Wrap the band(s) around your fingers and thumb and open up your hand repeatedly. Do this several times a day.
The idea is to work the muscles that never get any excersize (since people never open up their hand with resistance on a regular basis), and thus create "balance" in your forearm.
Myself, I started to get the same problem with the occupation I'm in, and since I started with the rubber band, the problem has subsided, and in fact my wrist is now getting stronger overall. Unfortunately, some companies who have a large staff of receptionists will issue them squeeze balls in an effort to combat this problem by "strenthening" the wrist. But the problem ends up getting worse because that is exactly what the body doesn't need: more sqeezing. ...Pete
The idea is to work the muscles that never get any excersize (since people never open up their hand with resistance on a regular basis), and thus create "balance" in your forearm.
Myself, I started to get the same problem with the occupation I'm in, and since I started with the rubber band, the problem has subsided, and in fact my wrist is now getting stronger overall. Unfortunately, some companies who have a large staff of receptionists will issue them squeeze balls in an effort to combat this problem by "strenthening" the wrist. But the problem ends up getting worse because that is exactly what the body doesn't need: more sqeezing. ...Pete
Evo,
I have had surgery for CTS.. What you are describing sounds alot like what I had, but only an EMG can tell how bad it is. I was told I needed both my right and left hands done, but opted to just do the right. It's been 8 years and I still haven't had the left one done, no better no worse.
The surgery itself isn't bad, you are awake during it, at least I was, and took about 6 good weeks before I could grab something sturdy again.
It all depends on the doctor who does it and what procedure they use. Good luck with it.
I have had surgery for CTS.. What you are describing sounds alot like what I had, but only an EMG can tell how bad it is. I was told I needed both my right and left hands done, but opted to just do the right. It's been 8 years and I still haven't had the left one done, no better no worse.
The surgery itself isn't bad, you are awake during it, at least I was, and took about 6 good weeks before I could grab something sturdy again.
It all depends on the doctor who does it and what procedure they use. Good luck with it.