Carpal tunnel syndrome...the scourge of thrashers everywhere

beardofcthulhu · October 23, 2011, 08:53:45 PM

I just started a new job which is physically 1000x more intense than any job I've ever had, and I'm paying a huge price for it. I'm one month in, and I have nightly numbness in my right hand. Specifically, my thumb and first three fingers. Textbook carpal tunnel. Who else deals with this, and what are your techniques? Surgery is an absolute dead last option.

Hemisaurus · October 23, 2011, 08:59:05 PM

Surgery may be the best option Freightshakin' Bob had it, and was back playing guitar in a couple of weeks.

I find mine is related to if I sleep on my hand. I wear one of those elastic wrist supports at night, and if I'm doing heavy work, $15 from Walmart, it's helped a lot.

bass sic · October 23, 2011, 09:10:37 PM

You should see a physical therapist, maybe find some treatments and exorcises that will offset what your doing at work.

The Shocker · October 23, 2011, 09:15:34 PM

I got it from typing all day at work. I went and saw a neurologist and he had me wear wrist braces/splints at night while I was sleeping. I use the Walmart ones with metal inserts. I felt gay as shit wearing them, well gayer than usual, and my wife made fun of me, but they fucking worked for me. Now I can't sleep without them, I'm so used to em.

jibberish · October 23, 2011, 09:34:29 PM

work related= start filing formal complaints, get a doctor visit for a diagnosis, then start the legal procedings

you have to be clean for the drug test. that is a lame ass loophole that will get workman's comp +w/e insurance, HMO is involved off the hook from paying.

my buddy worked for the gas company. he got re-assigned to a job where he was wrenching on w/e fittings all day long. he got CTS in both wrists and was a bumming puppy. well he had to get the operations, both hands. it took a year. can only do one at a time and the first has to be useable again before operating on the second. upshot was he basically got paid for a year of hanging out at home, BUT he said fuck this, i would have rather just worked and my wrists been ok.

i never was around someone who took it all the way, but there are ambulance chaser law firms that specialize in workman's comp claims and other unfair injuries. they are basically scum, but when they are working for you, they rock. and you would always do the % of the take regarding pay. "u lose case, no pay" keeps the motivation at the proper intensity heh

Hemisaurus · October 23, 2011, 09:42:35 PM

Quote from: deaner33 on October 23, 2011, 09:15:34 PM
I got it from typing all day at work. I went and saw a neurologist and he had me wear wrist braces/splints at night while I was sleeping. I use the Walmart ones with metal inserts. I felt gay as shit wearing them, well gayer than usual, and my wife made fun of me, but they fucking worked for me. Now I can't sleep without them, I'm so used to em.

Is that like the black fishnet one, yeah I feel goofy wearing mine but it works

giantchris · October 23, 2011, 10:20:24 PM

Wearing the brace at night is a good idea. Also try to stretch out your forearm/wrist/fingers periodically during the day. You could also get acupuncture which helps a lot with carpal tunnel/inflammation.

VOLVO))) · October 23, 2011, 10:44:19 PM

I played through mine. Sucked ass. Eventually went away, though.

I have hardcore tendinitis, though...

spookstrickland · October 24, 2011, 05:26:20 AM

I had a really bad bout of it. It ruined my playing for almost a year. I could not even hold a pick at one time and could play no more than 5 minutes a day. Lots of Ice and rest helped me, my playing is no where near what it used to be but it's getting there.

The Shocker · October 24, 2011, 07:43:44 AM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on October 23, 2011, 09:42:35 PM
Quote from: deaner33 on October 23, 2011, 09:15:34 PM
I got it from typing all day at work. I went and saw a neurologist and he had me wear wrist braces/splints at night while I was sleeping. I use the Walmart ones with metal inserts. I felt gay as shit wearing them, well gayer than usual, and my wife made fun of me, but they fucking worked for me. Now I can't sleep without them, I'm so used to em.
Is that like the black fishnet one, yeah I feel goofy wearing mine but it works

I tried the short ones, but they didn't give me enough support. These are the ones I use:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10533510&findingMethod=rr

Sorry can't post pic directly - at work.

I,Galactus · October 24, 2011, 08:23:46 AM

Quote from: bass sic on October 23, 2011, 09:10:37 PM
You should see a physical therapist, maybe find some treatments and exorcises that will offset what your doing at work.

This. PT definitely worked for me. A combination of stretches, squeezing a stress ball, and really paying attention to ergonomics nipped my shit in the bud early on. I primarily do a lot of CAD work = shit ton's o' clickin. I stretch when playing guitar too. Best of luck, man!

beardofcthulhu · October 24, 2011, 04:33:07 PM

Thanks for the advice y'all. I'll definitely be looking into a brace asap, and I have plenty of stretches to try out. I also have a massage therapist willing to do a little pro bono.

chille01 · October 25, 2011, 01:46:23 AM

Glucosamine supplements. Buy them in the vitamin aisle. Worked for my bass player, and it's what they give to people with arthritis a lot of the time.

liquidsmoke · October 25, 2011, 03:32:52 AM

The reason I could hardly play guitar or bass at in through most of my 20s, well plus I just have bad/weak wrists and shoulders. It's also the main reason I still don't like playing chords. Sometimes my hand grip strength sucks but things are a lot better these days overall and I'm not sure why. I can actually lift weights somewhat now, high reps low weight for certain movements but it's better than nothing and still gets me sore, we'll see if that actually builds any real muscle but I doubt it.

jibberish · October 25, 2011, 04:31:58 AM

i chop up mass quantities of wood and stumps with a tiny coleman camping hatchet. this has been amazingly successful at toning up my entire upper body. chop until you cant chop anymore, holy crap what a burn.

now after 3-4 years of this, my grip and overall strength is way more than it ever was. i can crush chords for hours now. i mention this because i dont bend my wrist at all when chopping. there is no carpal friction. it is all static powergrip just to hang on to the hatchet.

I wasted my right wrist in a motorcycle accident
Even though it isnt carpal(was messed up in all the little bones on back of hand mostly from slamming into a car at 30mph and using my hands on impact to save my face) , my wrist is bum now.
Doing pushups regular palm down will aggravate that quickly. i can only do knuckle pushups since they are much less strain on my wrists. so i have to watch what im doing with my wrists carefully since one is bum. the hatchet work has had absolutely no negative effect on my wrist.

just a thought for adding grip strength( and just overall upperbody which all helps with playing guitar) without further agitating your inner wrist.

HeavyEar · October 25, 2011, 05:19:09 AM

My guitar teacher was\is a Jazz dude, "spider chords and shit". He taught me very simple stretching warm up routines that made a Huuuge diff, rather than going in cold( I still only play 3 chords.) I was sore as fuck but the warmup made a big diff. And play light!. If surgery is necessary get more that 3 opinions! Best wishes! p.s. on stretch's - make sure you get that correct otherwise the tunnel gets over stimulated. Check it!

HeavyEar · October 25, 2011, 05:29:07 AM

Quote from: jibberish on October 25, 2011, 04:31:58 AM
i chop up mass quantities of wood and stumps with a tiny coleman camping hatchet.

ahhhhhhh, funny as fuck! hahahahhaa!

jibberish · October 28, 2011, 11:22:26 AM

y'all will eventually figure out, i'm pretty weird heh.
but i really do get into "ghetto scandinavian health spa" in my backyard for free. and ya i have some fucked joints so i have to do weird shit to accomodate, but i cant give up excercise "Cripplerobics Forever".

BTW, this getting old shit REALLY eats your fucking lunch..i'm not lying heh

regarding playing..i absolutely have to warm my fingers/hands/wrists up before i play. i also start really easy with things that dont take the maximum barre chord force to play or real fast switches. if i warm up right, i can go like a mutha for 2 hours straight

i also watch out for my left hand. if some fingers are going to maybe get smashed between two pieces of stone i'm putting along a flowerbed or w/e, it's going to be the fingers of the right hand.

The Shocker · October 28, 2011, 11:25:37 AM

I'm not sure if it's the same for everyone, but when I hit 40 it was like a switch got flipped and the getting old machine got cranking. Vision took a nosedive, get sore from doing any kind of yard work, back hurts at least 5 days a week, can't sleep longer than 6 hours, numbness in fingers, thumbs, elbows, etc.

jibberish · October 28, 2011, 11:47:01 AM

btw, an easy song that is a really really good moderate barre chord practice workout is "Sister Golden Hair"

that song, at least how i chose the chord forms, hits quite a few different forms and some decent fret movement

E maj and f#min in the e open shape, later a g#minor then an A all in the e open shape.
a maj and wtf minor in A open shape up a few frets heh
some nice quick switches between forms. then in the ending you work a bit more adding accent notes to the b and a barre chords(both a shape) in the repeating ?coda?

In conclusion, you use the Emaj+minor and the Amaj + minor barre shapes all over and in different combos.

jibberish · October 28, 2011, 11:48:52 AM

Quote from: deaner33 on October 28, 2011, 11:25:37 AM
I'm not sure if it's the same for everyone, but when I hit 40 it was like a switch got flipped and the getting old machine got cranking. Vision took a nosedive, get sore from doing any kind of yard work, back hurts at least 5 days a week, can't sleep longer than 6 hours, numbness in fingers, thumbs, elbows, etc.

ya, and if you ding or sprain something, it takes forever for it to be right now too. It's just a raw deal all across the boards heh

seriously, i try to watch all my joints more carefully now. knees, ankles, spine, shoulders elbows wrists..and w/e i missed lol. right hip is bum, left knee started hurting from the loss of symmetry while i was running. i had to stop running before that knee, that was giving me warning twangs, really twanged out..that kind of shit. and no more super hulk powerlifts. i dont want to needlessly compress discs in my back showing off.

Lumpy · October 28, 2011, 03:46:54 PM

I have Trigger Finger and acupuncture was recommended but did nothing. (I think Trigger Finger is similar -- tendon gets inflamed and has trouble passing through a channel, so your finger seems 'stuck'. No pain though.)

Is it bad to sleep with your hands curled up/wrist folded over? (the brace thing). Because I definitely do that.

justinhedrick · October 28, 2011, 03:50:02 PM

Quote from: Lumpy on October 28, 2011, 03:46:54 PM
I have Trigger Finger and acupuncture was recommended but did nothing. (I think Trigger Finger is similar -- tendon gets inflamed and has trouble passing through a channel, so your finger seems 'stuck'. No pain though.)

Is it bad to sleep with your hands curled up/wrist folded over? (the brace thing). Because I definitely do that.

i get trigger finger in my thumb . . . on my left hand . . . makes fretting a bit hard some times. but some advil helps. it probably stems from the fact that i spend over 50 hours a week at a computer.

man, i wish i was a farmer . . .

The Shocker · October 28, 2011, 04:07:52 PM

Quote from: Lumpy on October 28, 2011, 03:46:54 PM
I have Trigger Finger and acupuncture was recommended but did nothing. (I think Trigger Finger is similar -- tendon gets inflamed and has trouble passing through a channel, so your finger seems 'stuck'. No pain though.)

Is it bad to sleep with your hands curled up/wrist folded over? (the brace thing). Because I definitely do that.

I used to sleep with my hands bent back at close to a 90 degree angle for some reason (not good). The braces really helped with that.

SpaceTrucker · October 28, 2011, 04:18:34 PM

I tie rebar, so I'm constantly griping wire and heavey steel bars. Tying some cassons up with no. 9 wire will really get your grip strong. Like break a Business mans hand with a hand shake strong.

But really its more about endurance than strength. If I jerked of with my left had I would have no problems. Oh, and me and my twin brother used to play sister golden hair. You know whats another good song for learning bar chords.

Looking glass, brandy.