Question Title: Numbness of hand

Forum: Neurology Forum
Topic: Pain

Posted by CCF Neuro MD on July 02, 1997 at 21:59:12:

In Reply to: Numbness of hand posted by Mary on June 24, 1997 at 23:36:34:

: When I do heavy work like painting & weeding at night my hand & arm swell
up. My hand gets numb and hurts so bad I can't sleep & I have to get up &
excercise it as I'm doing now. The swelling in my hand goes down some but
my arm just above my wrist stays swelled. I had nerve tests done some years
back & they didn't find anything wrong. I will appreciate your response.
Thank You
Mary

Dear Mary:

The symptoms that you complain of are rather typical of carpal tunnel syndrome - you must undoubtedly heard about it. It results from compression or pinching of the median nerve inside a somewhat narrow bony canal at the wrist. The normal electrical study makes the diagnosis less likely, but does not exclude a mild case (electrically, not necessarily symptomatically). Also, the electrical test may not have been designed to be very sensitive to pick up the abnormality of carpal tunnel syndrome. Contrarily, wou may have a condition other than carpal tunnell sundrome, such as a radiculopathy (root compression in the neck), arthritis, or Raynauds phenomenon. You would benefit by seeing a neurologist specialising in neuromuscular diseases, and possibly undergoing another EMG test. I you live near Cleveland, I suggest that you see Dr. Kerry Levin or Dr. Robert Shields who are neuromuscular specialists at the Cleveland Clinic. You could get an appointment by calling up (216)444-2200 or (800)223-2273 and askingfor neurology appointments.
This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options of your specific medical condition.

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