Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Posted:
in AppleOutsider edited January 2014
Null.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    I had some wrist trauma in 2005 that produced medial and ulnar nerve compression, the former or which is largely involved in CTS (The trauma also resulted in a messy wrist fracture). I typed one-handed (with my left hand) for a few months. I got pretty good!



    Basically, if you have reduced sensation in your middle finger, and specifically the tip, you probably have CTS.



    Because it stemmed from a chance incident/injury, it was handled without much inquiry by my medical insurance, but the operation seemed pretty simple, and I don't think it would be too expensive. My medial nerve sorted itself out very quickly, but my ulnar nerve took more time. I'm still doing physical therapy.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Null.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slewis


    how do you know you have CPS? i'm typing all of this with one hand because my left wrist is in pain...



    Are you left handed? Repetitive actions can cause it I hear. Also, holding your wrists in an unnatural position while working or typing can do it from what I read.



    The current keyboard has a dark history. It was to slow down typists so the keys of manual typewriters would not jam. We still have the poor letter layout. I suspect the bump on the F and J keys is to force typists to keep their wrists parallel, which is a strain.



    Rather than buying an ergonomic keyboard, I trained myself to type with my wrists straight, and only the last three fingers of each hand rest on the keys. My index fingers are not touching the keys at rest.



    I was able to do this quite easily on the old Apple keyboards, with the bump on the D and K keys. Now, I only make contact when striking the F or J keys or when I'm resting with my last three fingers more bent, so the index fingers touch the keys.



  • Reply 4 of 16
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Null.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    Lewis - if it's your wrist in pain, then it's probably a joint problem.



    Carpal tunnel syndrome involves nerve compression foremost: either the ulnar or the medial nerve. If it's the ulnar nerve, then the lateral 1.5 fingers may go numb, burn, or tingle with fixed raised postures of the wrist (typically at a singles bar or up against the keyboard). If it's the medial nerve, then it'll be the medial 3.5 fingers (from thumb - count to the ring finger and the inside of the ring finger).



    Wrist ache is very common particularly with RSI type phenomenon, although if you're used to riding a sports bike, you'll find that practice reduces strain, whereas if you're doing a tedious screen-desk job, practice is supposed to contribute to RSI.



    The surest way to know if you have carpal tunnel syndrome is to see your doctor, rather than ask on a MacApple forum! Just think of the disinformation you'd get if you asked on a Windows forum
  • Reply 6 of 16
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Null.
  • Reply 7 of 16
    Joint problems are no fun either. You can try taking a good glucosamine product for a few months and see if it clears up. I have a knee glitch that seems to have been cleared up nicely from glucosamine.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    One really easy thing you can do is get up every 15-30 minutes and stretch your arms and legs, rotate your wrists and arms in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. Also, if you apply a sharp pressure to the muscle between your forefinger and thumb, using the opposite thumb and forefinger, this will help. It has to hurt from the pressure you apply. Learned that trick from someone who knows acupressure. My wrists usually make a 'snapping' sound when I rotate them. That just means I'm finally stretching what needs to be stretched. Get some exercise!
  • Reply 9 of 16
    I have heard that Caarpal Tunnel Syndrome can now be treated with laser sugery, rather than the knife.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    tmptmp Posts: 601member
    Just a note from an old fart- the bumps on the F and J key are there to orient your index fingers that your hands are in the proper position on "home row"



    When I went to 9th grade (two miles up hill in the driving snow, both ways), we had to take a semester of typing. On manual typewriters, thank you, since back in the late 70's they thought that the college prep people would never get to see an electric typewriter: only secretaries would encounter them.



    What do they teach on high school now, advanced crackberry?
  • Reply 11 of 16
    Nothing advanced, so it would seem.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Null.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slewis


    No they are not, but it's better then the thought of CTS... I stayed home today and rested my hand (with a 2 week vacation starting Monday to boot) so the pain is starting to disappear so apparently it's not CTS. Is Glucosamine like those heating pads? I have some Salonpas patches laying around the house if those will work?



    No, it's a nutritional supplement (natural) that is usually taken by folks with arthritis. The typical Clucosamine Chondritin complex is advertised to lubricate joints and help rebuild cartilage. In my experience, I've found that it actually works, although it takes a few months until you begin to notice. I'm only 25, so it's a little weird buying a product targeted at seniors, but the stuff works.



    Some notes:



    1. Not all brands are equal. Basically, you get what you pay for. When I started using "Cosamin DS" the situation seemed to begin to heal at an increased rate.



    2. I took two months off of running, after which the condition was maybe 50% better. Then I started running again, while taking the pills, and my knee actually continued to improve.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    slewisslewis Posts: 2,081member
    Null.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Splinemodel


    No, it's a nutritional supplement (natural) that is usually taken by folks with arthritis. The typical Clucosamine Chondritin complex is advertised to lubricate joints and help rebuild cartilage. In my experience, I've found that it actually works, although it takes a few months until you begin to notice. I'm only 25, so it's a little weird buying a product targeted at seniors, but the stuff works.



    Some notes:



    1. Not all brands are equal. Basically, you get what you pay for. When I started using "Cosamin DS" the situation seemed to begin to heal at an increased rate.



    2. I took two months off of running, after which the condition was maybe 50% better. Then I started running again, while taking the pills, and my knee actually continued to improve.



    I've taken Glucosamine Chondroitin with no effect on my aching joints, and I did take fish oil supplements that made me constantly nauseous, and gave me horrific stomach problems... I quit taking it.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    I suppose it doesn't work for everyone, but I'll mention that I was pretty down on it for the first two months when it didn't seem to have any effect. It took longer. Plus, you have to be very diligent about taking it often.
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