Carpal Tunnel

[ksdaddy]

Copied and pasted from my FB because I didn’t feel like typing it twice:

I’ve had problems with my hands going to sleep while riding motorcycles for decades. This is partly why my Harley has gone 972 miles since November of 2011. The arm pain has gotten radically worse over the past year, to the point where my entire right arm is in pain. It feels like a cross between having slept on it and something cutting off the circulation. My doctor says Carpal Tunnel. I have a visit scheduled with a specialist soon. I have a brace, which helps a lot, and I’m also taking ginger, turmeric and garlic for their anti inflammatory properties. Today I fitted a violin bridge. Or I did the best I could anyway. After about 5 minutes I couldn’t feel the x-acto knife in my hand. No real “pain” in the traditional sense but I wasn’t able to do the quality work I used to do. I am not sad about this. Over the years I have grown to despise violins… and I will stop there.

[sparquelito]

Praying for you, ksdaddy.

I have similar problems with my feet, of all things.

But luckily, I don't play guitar with my feet, so I'm sort of okay for now.

🙁

[ksdaddy]

Thanks, man. So far no playing issues. As to bikes, I can only ride 10-15 miles, max, before I can't feel the bars. Been that way a long time. I just use the Sportster to cool off on a short back road ride after mowing the lawn or some such.

As to working on violins... good riddance.

[Notes_Norton]

Have you tried PEMFT (Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field Therapy)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5144749/

https://www.mibu.com.au/using-pemf-for-carpal-tunnel-syndrome

I bought a PEMFT machine for my mother-in-law. She had Parkinson's and it helped her immensely. Many years later she passed, and it helps my arthritis and bursitis.

She first went to a clinic, which was 1.5 hours away. Asking about a home unit, the doc said buy one with a square wave, north polarity, slow frequency (under 25Hz) and the strongest field you can buy.

It's lasted a long time. They do multi-level marketing, but I don't sell them. I have enough going on. But I can probably get you $100 off as a friend and family. Instead of paying me a commission of $100, they take it off the price.

Do your research first, there are plenty more articles about this, and if you want to take the chance, I can help with the discount, providing they still do that.

Or find your own, remembering square wave, north polarity, slow frequency (under 25Hz) and the strongest field you can find.

- - - - - -

The inherited bursitis in my hip had gotten so bad, I couldn't walk 2 blocks, couldn't drive without an ice pack behind my hip, and needed a stool for gigging. Now I'm pain free. I don't know if it work that well for CT, but if it does, it would be magic.

 

Notes ♫

[Sgt. Pepper]

Damn that sucks. When I ride my mountain bike my hands fall asleep after a long ride. Toke up a bowl. It may help.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Sgt. Pepper

[ksdaddy]

14 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

Toke up a bowl. It may help.

I always said, when I retire, there would be more guitar playing, more reading, more slothing and I would revisit one pastime I enjoyed for a while in the 70s.

So far, none of that has happened.

[Mr. Gibson]

37 minutes ago, ksdaddy said:

I always said, when I retire, there would be more guitar playing, more reading, more slothing and I would revisit one pastime I enjoyed for a while in the 70s.

So far, none of that has happened.

Always tomorrow 

[Karloff]

this really sucks KS. I gotta ask, so please don't be insulted. are your handle bars high ? ape hangers ? that can cause that, affect the blood flow.

[ksdaddy]

Nope, very low bars. Almost making me a hunchback.

I also have a Gold Wing, haven't ridden it much in the year I've had it. It's not "quite" as bad, but a GW is like driving your couch down the road anyway.

[Karloff]

13 minutes ago, ksdaddy said:

Nope, very low bars. Almost making me a hunchback.

I also have a Gold Wing, haven't ridden it much in the year I've had it. It's not "quite" as bad, but a GW is like driving your couch down the road anyway.

man, they really are. I rode a friends GW once. couldn't believe how smooth & comfortable it was. even more than my Electraglide. 

[Notes_Norton]

10 hours ago, ksdaddy said:

I always said, when I retire, there would be more guitar playing, more reading, more slothing and I would revisit one pastime I enjoyed for a while in the 70s.

So far, none of that has happened.

So sorry to hear that.

When I was young, the old folks told me to do what I love while I'm young and don't wait until you retire.

I've played music for most of my life, so I can't retire. Two sides to that coin,

But then, if I retired, I'd still play music for the joy of it.

I hope you find a solution to your challenges.

 

Notes ♫

[Pinch]

Hoping for the best. Hang in there. 

[kidblast]

I got it too

I can manage  but I understand it all.. 

they tell me I should have surgery,  they have not said "must" have surgery.

waiting may not be smart due to unreversible nerve damage

[NighthawkChris]

My wife had this for both of her hands and after she had surgery to correct the issues - and some amount of time to rehabilitate - her carpal tunnel went away as hoped.  She had it bad where she initially experienced pain in the arms going up to the shoulder, then it evolved into numbness and sensory issues with her fingers.  Before this, she had ergonomic keyboard/mouse stuff for her work and wore a brace...  None of this helped to a degree where the discomfort was alleviated.  Based on what I saw, if I had the same stuff happening to me as my wife experienced, I would be pushing for surgery with the doctors incessantly.  It doesn't get better on its own - on the contrary, seems to get worse. 

Best of luck to you @ksdaddy.  I'm sorry to hear about your condition, but thanks for sharing. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by NighthawkChris

[DanvillRob]

I've been very fortunate to avoid carpal tunnel.... even though I started playing guitar at 12, piano at 16, was a typist from about age 15, and of course the damned computer since about 1994, (prior to Windows 95).

I did switch 'mouse hands' when my left thumb started having pain, (turned out to be arthritis), so that might have helped.

I am truly sorry that you're going through this....getting old ain't for sissys!

[ksdaddy]

I’m not even convinced it’s CTS. I believe I do have it to some degree but at the same time I wonder if I am doing other things to aggravate the median nerve. Things such as putting all my weight on my right elbow while sitting on the couch drinking coffee, or gripping the steering wheel of the lawn mower for hours at a time. I have a history of problems related to tendons and ligaments. My 2007 bout with sciatica turned out to be an inflamed piriformis muscle putting constant pressure on the sciatic nerve, then in the last few years I had a bout with bicep tendinitis, tennis elbow (sounds wimpy but hurt like a b***), and my commute at the time (110 mile round trip) made my LEFT arm unbearably painful because I tended to rest it on the car’s window edge and it was too high. 
 

Sorry to ramble, but I want to be able to present my scenario accurately when I go see the specialist later this month. 
 

I’m one of those guys who can push a piano up a flight of steps but then throw his back out putting the kool aid pitcher back in the fridge. 

[ksdaddy]

4 hours ago, DanvillRob said:

....getting old ain't for sissys!

My mother always said, “don’t ever get old”, but I never listened to a word that woman said. 

[tx-ogre]

I wish you the best.  I hope you find relief soon.   I went through something similar recently so I know what you’re going through.  Mine started out as pain in my left shoulder.  An MRI revealed a partially-torn rotator cuff.  Started physical therapy to deal with that.  Then the pain began moving down my left arm (elbow, wrist and also the soft tissue) until I couldn’t lift my arm and lost most of the use of my left hand.  Then the pain expanded from my shoulder up into my neck.  From there, it travelled down my right arm into my right hand.  Not quite as bad as the left arm/hand, but made it virtually impossible to do anything.  Subsequent MRIs of my cervical spine revealed degenerative disk disease, severe spinal stenosis and two severely herniated disks.  Epidural steroid injects didn’t help.  Ended up having cervical spine fusion surgery, having the disks between the C5/C6 and C6/C7 vertebrae and having the 3 vertebrae fused.  
 

I started feeling relief/improvement almost immediately.  No restrictions after 6 weeks.  Didn’t even need physical therapy.  It’s been 4 months now and I’m back to playing guitar, working out, everything I used to do and have nearly 100% use of both arms and hands again.  
 

I hope you can find something that will provide similar results.

 

[sparquelito]

Here's a fresh thought.
And it dove-tails with tx-ogre's cervical spine issues.

Sometimes arm and wrist or hand pain has less to do with what's going on structurally in the arm, wrist, and hand, but more to do with the nerve bundles feeding the signals to and from the brain.

I myself had all kinds of pain symptoms in my upper back, left arm,  and even left side of my chest.
(And yes, I ended up having some cardiac tests and scans to eliminate heart problems.)

It turns out that all my symptoms resulted from some discs in my neck settling and bulging, and pinching on some nerve bundles.
(I flew helicopters for decades, and wore helmets with night vision goggles and counter-weight velcro bags, go figure.)

But this situation, age-related degenerative disc disease,  is common with many people from all walks of life.

So, KSDaddy, my recommendation is this:
Visit the doc.
Get some x-rays or scans of your cervical spine (neck).

If there is some evidence of settling and degeneration, ask for the doc to prescribe you a Saunders Cervical Decompression device.
(or just buy one for $300 bucks)

I used mine a few times a month.
It gently stretches your neck over a 20 minute session, and makes the discs comparatively fat and tall again. Temporarily, obviously.
And it therefore takes the pressure off of pinched nerve bundles.

But I get up off the mat, and all my aches and pains are gone.

It's worth a try, good sir.
🙂
https://www.djoglobal.com/products/saunders/saunders-cervical-home-traction-device

Edited August 11, 2023 by sparquelito

[SteveFord]

I don't know the laws in your state but try some medical marijuana cream, go for the strongest you can get.

I crunched my foot when a Triumph landed on me and was hobbling around.  My wife suggested medical marijuana so I finally rubbed a little bit on the area and I'll be damned, I could walk again.  I tried it the next day (even though I was better) and it just made the area burn.

You can get it with or without THC, it's like Ben Gay but it actually does something.  Worth a shot.

[MissouriPicker]

Daddy, I get some of the same symptoms you mention.  For years, I had none of this stuff going-on, but I guess it’s unavoidable if we live long enough.  I still play guitar everyday and don’t have much issue with that, but I think I’ve got some carpal tunnel in both hands.  I play a bit more on my squareneck guitars than before, just in case it ever gets too painful to play a straight acoustic.  I’m determined to play, no matter what…….Getting old ain’t for sissies.

[Notes_Norton]

On 8/10/2023 at 1:37 PM, kidblast said:

they tell me I should have surgery,  they have not said "must" have surgery.

I'd try the PEMFT before I'd go for surgery. I'd give it at least 6 months.

They told me I'd eventually need a hip replacement, 30+ years later, I'm still pain free. I admit, I was skeptical, but I figured it was worth a try.

 

Notes ♫

[surfpup]

On 8/11/2023 at 6:53 PM, tx-ogre said:

I wish you the best.  I hope you find relief soon.   I went through something similar recently so I know what you’re going through.  Mine started out as pain in my left shoulder.  An MRI revealed a partially-torn rotator cuff.  Started physical therapy to deal with that.  Then the pain began moving down my left arm (elbow, wrist and also the soft tissue) until I couldn’t lift my arm and lost most of the use of my left hand.  Then the pain expanded from my shoulder up into my neck.  From there, it travelled down my right arm into my right hand.  Not quite as bad as the left arm/hand, but made it virtually impossible to do anything.  Subsequent MRIs of my cervical spine revealed degenerative disk disease, severe spinal stenosis and two severely herniated disks.  Epidural steroid injects didn’t help.  Ended up having cervical spine fusion surgery, having the disks between the C5/C6 and C6/C7 vertebrae and having the 3 vertebrae fused.  
 

I started feeling relief/improvement almost immediately.  No restrictions after 6 weeks.  Didn’t even need physical therapy.  It’s been 4 months now and I’m back to playing guitar, working out, everything I used to do and have nearly 100% use of both arms and hands again.  
 

I hope you can find something that will provide similar results.

 

I feel your pain! I had the exact same problem.... degenerative disks. I had my C3-C6 fused this summer. Bionic neck! My symptoms weren't pain as much as muscle weakness and limited range of movement. I had the surgery last of May. In the rehab lane now.... slow going. Getting old sucks.  Avoid if possible..... LOL.