How many have carpal tunnel or finger numbness?

[Spaceystac]

Hi I am not diagnosed with Chiari but I have a small syrinx and my cerebral tonsils are squished against my skull.  

In July I helped my god-sis move and after that I started having progressive re-occurring numbness in my middle 3 fingers while sparing my thumb so far (a side from the full hand numbness I get while sleeping I have had for years). I was worried it could be coming from my neck but my doctor said its carpal tunnel and I had a NCS confirm this, I have mild Carpal Tunnel in both wrists (add another dx to the list). So I am wondering if this can be something connective tissue related, (maybe Selma can tell me about this) I often feel like my wrists bones are moving more than they should. Also I will be in the middle of doing something with my hands and ill move my wrist some wrong way and I get this twang that shoots down my hand like my nerve was caught the released real quick. Almost like how it feels to get the nerve conductive study, or like a guitar string was plucked in my wrist. Hard to describe but I am sure if you've had it happen, you would know what I am talkin about.
  So to those who read this and do have Carpal Tunnel, what do you do for relief? Any advise or suggestions for the recently diagnosed?  Thanks, Stacey

[momof3gr8kids]

Hi, I have finger numbness too.  I am in the process of getting things sorted out and still looking for help.  While they were doing a nerve test they had me hold these warm things (they looked like gel ice packs) and that soothed my hands for a little while.

[selmaS]

  Well they can do an EMG to rule out  CTS.....

  But there is info on how to determine EDS as one type of connective tissue disorders u may have......if u need more info do see the EDS group and PM me for more info.

    "selma"

[Spaceystac]

My primary care doctor had never heard of connective tissue disorders lol. I asked if he could test me and he was dumb founded.

So I had a NCS and the neurologist said that i have mild CTS in both wrists. I had an MRI, I haven't looked at the results much yet but it did mention fluid accumulation around the ulnar nerve as well. I asked the Neuro how often people get if in both wrists at the same time and he said not often unless I was doing repetitive motions for a long period of time, which I have. I am a glass artist so I use my left and right hand constantly with weight in my hands and arms extended out from my body. this was my full time occupation for the last 8 years and i'm finding now I cant get through one piece of art with out pain and numbness.  I am not convinced that it is just my wrists causing these symptoms, I often get terrible nerve pain that radiates from my high shoulder down to my hands, that's not my wrist causing that and I know it.

To jenshead:  I do spent a lot of time on my computer and lucky enough to not have numbness with computer usage : )  

To Ray: we seem to have a bit in common, I don't think I would get the surgery either, I am going to change my occupation and hopefully it will not keep getting worse. I agree that it is a strange conductance that a person with a small syrinx that extends from C-3 to T-1 and a tight posterior fossa   would have numbness in both hands and carpal tunnel. I understand though that the damage is visible from the NCS in the wrists but that doesnt mean there isnt damage starting in other places, they should't be able to discredit     that.

[selmaS]

   Hi Stacey....If u had the NCS that is the best way to find out...I was told yrs ago I had both carpal and tarsal tunnel and had surgery for tarsal tunnel...only to find out yrs later my issues were from the chiari. I had other testing, but not a NCS at the time, it was to be a new way to determine carpal and tarsal tunnel, but failed .

  Stacey, it also sounds like u may have a connective tissue condition, ehlers-danlos since u said ur wrist moves out of joint.....that shifting may be contributing to ur CTS.

  Do ask to be checked for it if u weren't yet. And keep us posted.

    "selma"

[rod44]

Hi Stacy,
I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists, it was diagnosed after a NCS back in July. I also have CM and a Syrinx along with a congenital malformation of my spine in the Cervical/Thoracic junction witch is distorting the spinal cord. It was also noted that I have "mild irritation of the Ulnar nerve" extending from the neck down to both my wrists. I have a Carpal Tunnel wrist brace (you can buy them on line) that I wear when I am doing anything with my hands. They keep your hands in a neutral position. I use Nurofen (Ibuprofen) for the pain and do some hand stretching. My Dr's do not know if it is due to the Spinal cord problems, I am not willing to have the Carpal Tunnel decompression surgery because of the poor success rate and I personally feel it is more than coincident that this is affecting both wrists in a person with a Syrinx.

Ray     .    

Ray

[jenshead]

Do you work at a computer a lot, or anything else that would cause this problem?  I don't know if I have Carpal Tunnel but I definitely get wrist pain because I'm on a computer constantly for work, school, and stuff like this.

There are lots of hand stretches you can do, switch your mouse hand back and forth if it is from computer use and/or get an ergonomic keyboard & mouse.  I have done all of this and it makes a world of difference.  I can provide more info if interested.

Also, this is something I know very little about, but I want to throw it out there because of the "Chiari run around"...does the carpal tunnel test show positive for someone that has nerve damage due to a syrinx?  Is your dr a Chiari or Syringomyelia (sp?) specialist that would make sure it's not from your syrinx?

[bookworm79]

Stacey, I have carpal tunnel and basically was given a prescrip for meds and a prescrip for arm braces to wear to bed or while working on the computer etc.  If it's severe enough, sometimes they'll do surgery but I've heard that the surgery has low percentage of success and high percentage of nerve damage.  But you also have to take into account that you most likely only hear the negative responses so maybe the surgery is not as unsucsessful as we may hear pouring over forums and opinions on the internet.