Carpal Tunnel syndrome?

I had the surgery in both hands. No regrets, no problems, better results than I expected. I suggest if your doctor has determined that you need the surgery, or that it would help...don't hesitate for a moment. I lived with the symptoms getting worse. Working 5-6 days a week. Using a handheld router for hours on end, and not feeling it in my hand, and not being able to let go. Using a belt sander for hours. I remember cutting M&T's, and not feeling the chisel, and having a problem controlling a mallet. It is the extended isometric stress, and vibration that was the culprit.

The pain would wake me up several times a night. The pain would go up my arms just short of the shoulder. When I finally got on an insurance plan, and having an EMG done, I was told that the surgery would help with the pain, but for best results I was ten years too late. I don't have the pain anymore. I still have tendinitis, and "trigger finger". But overall, it was a huge success. I suggest if both hands are scheduled for surgery get it weeks apart. Practice the use of the odd hand before surgery to get used to using it for those "necessary" tasks. After surgery, get one of those soft "squeeze" balls to help recover the muscular control lost because of CTS. Compounding the CTS, was some nerve damage due to toxic chemical use typically for finishing, and contact cement for laminating, over the years, which was contributory to breathing difficulties. I have nobody to blame but myself.



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Well Larry, I'm gonna get on Mike's side here. I had the carpal tunnel surgery on both hands some 20 years ago while in my mid 30's. I was having pain and numbness in both hands and a lot of pain in my right forearm and elbow that was reported to be coming from the carpal tunnel. I was having a terrible time sleeping at night because of the pain. I had the outpatient surgery on my right hand and two weeks later on my left. I've worked my hands just like before with only a small amount of tenderness in the palm of my hands as a side effect.

I tried the splints, braces and what have you to no benefit at all. The surgery is a breeze, at least with the right surgeon.

Larry when I got home from my ride last year my wrist was killing me. I thought it might be ....... so I have baby'ed it. Not to bad now but it still sparks up now a then enough to know it's there.

from what i have read, there are two types of surgery, endoscopic and normal cutting ted mentioned the endoscopic version.. so the down time is 4 weeks? and once it is cut you wont get it back.. so why is it there if we dont need it connected? is it like tonsils, they just dangle and arnet needed? but now days they dont seem to be taking them out like they used to.. and while we are on numbness what about toes, big toe and the one next to it? i was told that they are at the end of the nerve and its just normal detoration of the body over the years and no fix.. if so i cant wait for the next thing to fall apart

My bet is toes are back related. Find a good chiropractor for that and it won't hurt the CT either.

Had it on both hands, doc wanted to take me to surgery asap. I didn't let him. Now I'm free fromit, how? Wearing splints at night for a while 3-6 months, making exercises and at the same time, visiting a chiropractitioner, that made the trick.
On the meantime I learnt how to use my hands in a different way, finding new sanding and pushing techniques I've posted a couple of hints here, now I do not have numbness, I have full strength in both hands and I carve regularly wich includes quite a lot (thousands i a few hours) wrist twists, pushing and griping with the tips of my fingers, withut a problem.


As someone else mentioned, give yourself some time with the splints and the exercises and if nothing works you can consider surgery, the more you ask the more different answers you will get. Each one of us different and the grade of afectation of each is different as well, some people are very happy having had surgery, but it didn't work at all for others, so eventually it will be your choice.

BTW I still go to the chiropractor once every two or three weeks, even if I'm fine.

what did the chiro do to fix it chuck and toni?

larry merlau said:

what did the chiro do to fix it chuck and toni?

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The brain signals travel through the nerves from our brain to our different parts of the body and back. Those brain signals carry information from the brain to that organ or body part back and fro so the brain knows what is wrong with that part. The brain sends healing orders to the organism to fix those malfuntioning parts and the organism heals itself. For instance, when you cut yourself in a finger, you don't do anything, it is your own organism that heals itself. You only help it by cleaning the wound.

From birth, and during all our life our spine is subject to tensions, movements, bad postures, muscular efforts and so forth. All those forces create what they describe as subluxations on our spine. Those subluxations pinch the nerves and prevent the proper flow of information from the brain to the body parts and back, hence the healing signals that the brain sends, either do not arrive in full power where they should or they are misinterpreted.

Chiropratitioners, rearrange your spine and articulations so that the proper flow of signals is restored, and in consecuence the body can heal itself much better than before. What they do to you, is to make you lie down a special stretcher and twist and crack your spine to put the vertebrae and articulations back to the right position. However, those rearrangements are not permanent becasue our body has been creating those subluxations for long time without us noticing, so in order to get results and allor the body heal itself they have to keep rearranging your spine for quite a while, it is not a matter of one or two sessions.

When I started with it, I had two sessions per week during three weeks, then I had one session per week for about 2-3 months, and now I have one maintenance session every 2-3 weeks or more.
I started to notice improvements after the second week of treatment, I do not remember when I finished having symptoms but now I'm happy not to have gone under surgery.
One last warning, they tend to be expensive, specially if they are good. I pay 1200 € for a forfait of 50 sessions ( that makes 24€ per session) which allow me to go every two weeks during two years almost. I do not know how much they charge in US.

Sorry for the long explanation, but I thought that you'd wanted to know something more than me saying " they crack your spine and there you go".

And in my case, I don't undergo spine cracking, as Toni puts it. They use a tool on me called an actuator. It is precisely placed. the trigger is pulled and a very directed forces adjusts each spot in turn. Not all chiropractors use this but it has been very effective for me. I would no longer even consider for a second the old method. You can go to actuator.com to find a chiropractor in your area that specializes in it. As for costs, much will depend on your area but I had been paying $35-$55 per session. Now insurance covers it so I don't worry about it

Carol Reed said:

And in my case, I don't undergo spine cracking, as Toni puts it. They use a tool on me called an actuator. It is precisely placed. the trigger is pulled and a very directed forces adjusts each spot in turn. Not all chiropractors use this but it has been very effective for me. I would no longer even consider for a second the old method. You can go to actuator.com to find a chiropractor in your area that specializes in it. As for costs, much will depend on your area but I had been paying $35-$55 per session. Now insurance covers it so I don't worry about it

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Thanks for the addition Carol, my chiroprator also uses the actuator, but obviously he decides when and where to use it. He used it on me maybe four or five times.

I wanted to offer a personal comparison for the surgery that I just heard about this morning. Very dear friend...works with me on the team and is the Sr investigator for Ca Resp Care Board just called. He had CT surgery yesterday...don't know what kind yet, and is wrapped from finger tip to elbow. He has access to the best medical procedures anywhere. I also know in fact that he had very limited use of his hands...Alan types more in a day than most of us do in a week...not all...most. I'm picking him up because we have our Federal training tomorrow...scenario is S.F. is hit by a dirty bomb...I hate those friggen suits. Shelter set-up...wash-out tent...blast treatment...iodine tablet dispersal....HeeeHeeeHeee...what a day!!
Back on point...check with your surgeon about what procedure he/she plans on doing, downtime, dressing needs...hubby or wife may end up changing them...and so on!!