Fingers Fail

[dotinthesky]

I may have to quit NaNoWriMo this year... because of tendonitis.

I'm going to rest for a few days and see how it goes. If my hands improve, I'll continue even though I won't make the 50.000 finishing line.

Comments

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Both my hands feel numb and warm, and the palms are sensitive to touch. Some of the finger joints are achey, but not as bad as yesterday. I feel like shaking my hands around to release the numbness. It feels like it's travelling into my wrist and down my arm. The left wrist is a bit achey too.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

Submerge arms (including hands) in icy water to just past the elbows, see if you can stand 3-5 minutes. It will be cold, then hurt, then get numb, keep holding on past the hurt part, it might hurt pretty bad. Do this 2x/day if possible.

Is the palm sensitivity just above the area where hand meets wrist?

Don't do motions that cause your wrists to deviate left or right (as in typing on a computer, you may have to have an LJ/FB moratorium for a few days) and don't rotate wrists around in circles, so shaking won't really help.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Can I go to the gym and do weights? I'll do what you said tonight! I might get Kevin to scroll and type on LJ/FB for me. :-)

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

as long as you don't do arm workouts. haha! secretary kevin! hawt.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

ah that sucks! :-(

I suppose I can go and run on the treadmill. What about swimming?

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

anything that uses your forearms is contraindicated. you forgot to tell me where exactly the palm pain is.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

When the hands are at rest, there is no pain. If I'm typing, like now, I get tiny little pain on some of the knuckles - like a pinch - and I can feel the nerve that runs from the top of the arms into the hands as if they were being pulled.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

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.

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What are the causes of carpal tunnel syndrome?


Carpal tunnel syndrome is often the result of a combination of factors that increase pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel, rather than a problem with the nerve itself. Most likely the disorder is due to a congenital predisposition - the carpal tunnel is simply smaller in some people than in others. Other contributing factors include trauma or injury to the wrist that cause swelling, such as sprain or fracture; overactivity of the pituitary gland; hypothyroidism; rheumatoid arthritis; mechanical problems in the wrist joint; work stress; repeated use of vibrating hand tools; fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause; or the development of a cyst or tumor in the canal. In some cases no cause can be identified.

There is little clinical data to prove whether repetitive and forceful movements of the hand and wrist during work or leisure activities can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Repeated motions performed in the course of normal work or other daily activities can result in repetitive motion disorders such as bursitis and tendonitis. Writer's cramp - a condition in which a lack of fine motor skill coordination and ache and pressure in the fingers, wrist, or forearm is brought on by repetitive activity - is not a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome.


you need rest and to lengthen the muscles of your forearms. massage. if we can get on Skype video I can show you how to stretch the fascia of your forearms with minimal bending of the wrists. you should probably get an appt. with you GP so that you can be allowed rest from typing and using the mouse while at work.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Thanks babe, will read this more carefully over the weekend. I did the cold water in bucket dunk last night and it helped. xo

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

also, a lot of people confuse muscle shortness or cramping with nerve problems. I'm not saying it isn't, but without being able to physically see the pathway you are talking about I can't assess whether or not it is a nerve issue.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Maybe when you are back I can book a paid session which includes an arm check up? ;-)