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I needed a brace once, and then re-arranging the work space.
Sometimes that's all it takes. I have had CT ( as well as DeQuervain's syndrome( that affects the thumb mobility and causes pain) flare up intermittently over the years, but was always able to ride them out and improve symptoms with bracing, icing, Aleve when things got bad enough. I also worked to improve the wrist/hand positions workwise and that helped too. I figured why even see a doctor when the recommendations would be to do just what I was doing, and things would get better. My PC doc agreed with the diagnoses
( from my description at an annual visit), and told me to keep doing what I was doing unless things got worse. They never did-till a recent wrist fracture.
Yup, those measures help, along with icing, bracing, and OTC antiinflammatories, until they don't anymore.....
BTW, the medical establishment that you blindly bash does recommend these measures for people with CT syndrome, and they don't encourage jumping into surgery unless those measures don't improve the problem over a number of months, or there is evidence of nerve damage from the impingement of the median nerve. As evidenced by muscle atrophy of thumb muscle, severe numbness or pain that isn't relieved anymore with conservative measures, difficulty in using or inability to use the fingers in a coordinated way for fine motor skills ( handwriting, buttoning buttons), weakness with the grasp-dropping things.
I was at that point several months after a wrist injury from a fall ( including a radial fracture, soft tissue injuries), left inflammation and scar tissue, added to some arthritis already there impinged on the medial nerve making it lose function. Even still, once the cast came off, I tried the conservative measures for 3 months, and I sure was hoping things would improve. They didn't, and that is when surgery was recommended.
Don't know how you'd feel under such circumstances, but I'm happy to see my hand function coming back, especially since it's the dominant one.
What Travelassie says is absolutely true. I started with CTS in both wrists six weeks after I had my brain surgery. The neurosurgeon tested me and said that it was a common aftereffect of Cushings Syndrome. I had it very bad while I was going through cortisol withdrawal, but it got better over time. I still wear a brace sometimes if I aggravate my wrists through certain activities, like using the hedge trimmer or driving long distances My sister had it much worse though, and had the surgery on both wrists. She was thrilled with the results and so glad to be pain-free afterwards.
I was diagnosed a month ago or so through telephone doctor appointment. I filed a report to my employer because it is related to my job, typing a lot but for me specifically using the mouse a lot for copy & paste.
Due to coronavirus, I work from home, paperless and it’s never been done this way.
My employer is far behind on technology and I don’t know how long I have to wait for them to be more technically advanced to avoid repetitive movements.
Anyone who has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, how much did this affect your job security? I feel afraid during these COVID-19 and economy.
Is it possible to continue to work or will it get worse?
Has anyone gone on disability due to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? How had did it get before you went on disability?
Best of my knowledge you cannot be diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel over the phone. It is diagnosed by Electromyography and a Nerve Conduction study. I would strongly suggest getting tested if you feel you have Carpal Tunnel, the only way you will know for sure.
If indeed this is what you have, it will not get better, only worse. Best course of action is to wear a wrist brace at night, Ace makes a very good one available at Walmart. Typical; symptoms are worse at night where it can get close to unbearable.
I think if you tried to get disability due to Carpal Tunnel they would laugh at you. With today's technology, it is a fairly simple fix with only a few weeks before one is back to normal.
Just as a note, I was diagnosed with a severe case of Carpal Tunnel, headed to the doctor today to schedule the simple surgery.
Best of my knowledge you cannot be diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel over the phone. It is diagnosed by Electromyography and a Nerve Conduction study. I would strongly suggest getting tested if you feel you have Carpal Tunnel, the only way you will know for sure.
If indeed this is what you have, it will not get better, only worse. Best course of action is to wear a wrist brace at night, Ace makes a very good one available at Walmart. Typical; symptoms are worse at night where it can get close to unbearable.
I think if you tried to get disability due to Carpal Tunnel they would laugh at you. With today's technology, it is a fairly simple fix with only a few weeks before one is back to normal.
Just as a note, I was diagnosed with a severe case of Carpal Tunnel, headed to the doctor today to schedule the simple surgery.
You know, I didn't pick up on that fact from the first post. I know many doctors are doing telemedicine right now, but you're correct, you can't properly diagnose CTS without an EMG test and a Nerve Conduction study. I've had both twice, and to be honest, they almost hurt worse than the CTS, especially the first time.
You know, I didn't pick up on that fact from the first post. I know many doctors are doing telemedicine right now, but you're correct, you can't properly diagnose CTS without an EMG test and a Nerve Conduction study. I've had both twice, and to be honest, they almost hurt worse than the CTS, especially the first time.
I noticed the OP's reference to the "telehealth" diagnosis to the CTS. I can see where an online doc might say it was probably CTS based on the patient's reported symptoms, or even having the patient perform the basic physical function tests and report the results ( induction of tingling in the thumb, fingers, palm) to the doc. And based on these results the doc might say it's possibly/probably CTS and suggest the bracing, icing, OTC antiinflammatories, adjustments in the position of the hands at work, to see how these go.
But in the event a patient wants to make the CTS a workman's comp claim, and/or get short term disability if his symptoms make it impossible or difficult to work while he's working on getting better using conservative measures, or getting/recovering from surgery if it gets to that point, I'm sure the workplace, the disability insurance company, the workman's comp insurance company will want documented evidence that the patient does have CTS. So yup, that would be those EMG and/or nerve conduction studies, and you can't do those at home.
I also can't imagine someone getting permanent disability for CTS, with when other means to help it have been exhausted
the surgery has such good results.
Well, one thing for certain with all the ADVANCED technology and people glued to their keyboards and pads, the surgeons of the world and the disability offices will be busy busy busy. Talk about job security...Good luck all going to the surgery world. Personally, I avoid cutting the body if I can.
Well, one thing for certain with all the ADVANCED technology and people glued to their keyboards and pads,
Lots of repetitive motion activities other than keyboard use can result in CTS. Just to name a few...assembly line work, using vibration-producing tools like heavy drills, riveting tools, or jackhammers, manual typing stenography, manual labor that puts heavy strain on the hand and wrist, on and on. A couple of rather interesting articles:
Lots of repetitive motion activities other than keyboard use can result in CTS. Just to name a few...assembly line work, using vibration-producing tools like heavy drills, riveting tools, or jackhammers, manual typing stenography, manual labor that puts heavy strain on the hand and wrist, on and on. A couple of rather interesting articles:
Lots of repetitive motion activities other than keyboard use can result in CTS. Just to name a few...assembly line work, using vibration-producing tools like heavy drills, riveting tools, or jackhammers, manual typing stenography, manual labor that puts heavy strain on the hand and wrist, on and on. A couple of rather interesting articles:
I realized I curled my hands/wrists under my chin while sleeping. Wearing braces every night cured me of this bad habit, and I haven't had problems since.
Backstory: When I was 7, my brother told me about a kid who got locked in the stockyards overnight, and the rats ate him; just his skeleton was left the next day. So I curled my hands like that to protect my neck so rats couldn't bite through my jugular. Kids get weird ideas; there were no rats in our suburban home until years later, when my sister had some as pets.
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