carpal tunnel

[Max Power]

I am getting to the point where I give up woodworking or have carpal tunnel operations on both hands. I have been loathe to go down this route having had one hand done about 5 years ago which made little difference.
has anyone had this procedure carried out to good effect. On another note I know the government pay compensation to vibration white finger sufferers, is this available for carpal tunnel damage and if it is can self employed people claim?

 

[PAC1]

SWMBO is about to have them done over the next few months. I think if it was a choice between giving up woodwork and getting them done my wrists (obviously one at a time) would be on the table before you can say Felder and Festool. If you just give up woodwork you would never know. At least if you do one arm you will know how it goes.

 

[matt]

Possibly a very stupid question but what is it about woodworking that causes the problem?

 

[Jake]

Sounds unpleasant - what are the downsides of the ops apart from risk of it not working very well again?


I think the vibration white finger compensation scheme is for state employees who were not properly protected against it by their employers - largely if not solely miners.

 

[Smudger]

I had one wrist done a few years ago (I had broken it a few years before in a fall, plus diabetes plus overweight...)
It was superb. Almost from Day 1 there was no pain (I had been in a lot of pain for a couple of years, even getting quite depressed, having to take time off work etc.) and full functionality. For about a year after that the wrist was weaker, but I haven't noticed that for a long while, so it's either got better or I've compensated for it.

I had it done privately (couldn't wait any longer, I was going crazy) but six months later the NHS offered me the op with the same surgeon...

I would recommend it, but that is just my experience.

 

[Mike.C]

I had one wrist done a few years ago (I had broken it a few years before in a fall, plus diabetes plus overweight...)
It was superb. Almost from Day 1 there was no pain (I had been in a lot of pain for a couple of years, even getting quite depressed, having to take time off work etc.) and full functionality. For about a year after that the wrist was weaker, but I haven't noticed that for a long while, so it's either got better or I've compensated for it.

I had it done privately (couldn't wait any longer, I was going crazy) but six months later the NHS offered me the op with the same surgeon...

I would recommend it, but that is just my experience.

SWMBO told me to say that she agrees with Smudger. She had hers done one at a time about 15 years ago, and from the first week she has not looked back.

On the other hand she knows people who have also had both wrists done and it has either failed to make any difference, or in one or two cases it has worked for a while before the pain has returned.

Even so she says that the op is highly recomended and it is worth taking the chance.

Cheers

Mike

 

[llangatwgnedd]

Alan, I suffer from both ailments and choose not to have the operation as it is not hundred percent successful.

All my manual activities have taken a dive because off the symptons, dread the fought of picking a sander up.

Yes the government does pay a pension for CT suffers, don't know about self employed people.

 

[Max Power]

Matt, nothing particular about woodworking, any activity that involved a degree of dexterity would be problematic due to the weakness ,restricted movement and general pain in the hands

 

[Smudger]

Pain, I mean serious pain, in the whole arm and shoulder. Weakened grip, pain when gripping. Numbness and loss of dexterity. Mine was very bad according to the surgeon.

I was awake throughout, in fact I was encouraging him to try to beat his speed record for the op!

I'm sorry, I don't see the logic of refusing an operation because it is only 90% succesful!

 

[dickm]

I suffer from Dupuytrens contracture of hand tendons, and had to have one operated on a couple of years back. Subsequently (and I suspect, consequently) developed carpal tunnel syndrome. Doc said choice was more surgery, high doses of Ibuprofen or physiotherapy. I vetoed more bl***y butchery, tried Ibuprofen which had no effect, so went for physio. One appointment, a list of exercises and 6 weeks of obsessional exercise later, no more problems.

Strongly recommend avoiding surgery on hands if at all possible. They are extremely complex bits of machinery and if you can encourage them to self heal it's much, much better. There are too few really good hand surgeons in the country! And at least one of the best ones retired a few years back

 

[big soft moose]

I think the vibration white finger compensation scheme is for state employees who were not properly protected against it by their employers - largely if not solely miners.

and foresters - vibration induced white finger is a common side effect of using a chainsaw for hours on end (psarticulartly in the old days befor the vibration reducing handles were brought in)... but you are right about it being state employees all the ex foresters i know who have had compensation either worked for, or were contracted to, the forestry commision and its subsidaries

 

[Smudger]

**** - I went through physio for 2 years. The pain simply increased. The inflammation of the tendons, and the subsequent thickening, has to be operated on, imho. I know of one person who gained no real benefit from the operation, but several (>5) who were 'cured'. The biggest problem was when one friend had both wrists done at the same time. That way you really get to find out if your spouse loves you...

 

[Kalimna]

Being intimately involved in this sort of thing (I have forgotten how many of these operations I have anaesthetised for) my advice is this : unless people on this forum are orthopaedic surgeons with an interest in hand surgery, then the advice they give is at best anecdotal, and worst scaremongering. That is not to say their own experience is invalid, but it concerns only them, and not yourself. Take the advice for or against surgery from the surgeon you see in the clinic, they are the ones knowledgable about the specifics of your case and what is likely to be your best option. If you don't agree with their advice, then so be it, but they are in a much better position to advise than anyone (probably) on this forum. And that is why I would not, despite working with surgeons every day, give you for or against advice. It would be irresponsible of me.
Also, regarding success rate etc, nothing whatsoever done medically is 100% effective all the time. But that has to be weighed up against the illness/condition that is nearly 100% not going to improve on it's own. And if that condition, whatever it may be, adversely affects your enjoyment of a favourite passtime etc, then I feel it's a bit of a no-brainer.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[bjm]

I was diagnosed with CT last year and my doctor advised against surgery before trying other alternatives. He recommended buying wrist splints (available at all good chemists) to wear during the night. They made a tremendous difference (although they do take time to get used to), particularly being able to sleep at night when the pain would normally be more noticeable.

Brian

 

[jlawrence]

Can the operation make it worse if it doesn't work ?
If not then it's a no brainer - any chance of a good result is better than none.

 

[wizer]

I suffer from mild rsi about 3-4 times a year, a result of the type of job i do. RSI alone scares the crap out of me so i cant imagine what CT must be like. Obviously take proper advice, but the biggest thing you need to do is discover what brings it on and act accordngly. For exampe, if i hot desk for a couple of weeks at a few locations, my wrists feel like theyre going to explode. But in this case some simple physio routines and thinking about my desk setup sorts it out. Perhaps a lenghtier physio regime may help you or at least contribute towards your decision.

 

[Smudger]

In general physio is not an answer to CT. The 'definitive' answer is surgery, although there are new treatments under development. Splinting can help in some cases, as can cortisone treatment. If not treated it can lead to nerve atrophy and permanent loss of function.
Details here from the NHS

My own was severe - doc said one of the worst he had seen for a while - and I was lucky not to have permanent damage, although I find fine work with my affected hand harder than before. I also had debilitating pain, firstly at night, affecting sleep, and later all day. The moment they anaesthetised my arm was bliss - pain-free for the first time in months!

As said, people really need to sit and talk this over with their specialist or GP. It certainly isn't trivial, in my experience.

 

[petermillard]

As said, people really need to sit and talk this over with their specialist or GP. It certainly isn't trivial, in my experience.

Agreed. Take this as anecdotal, of course, but I was diagnosed with CT in both wrists a year ago as a consequence of pre-surgery testing for a trapped nerve operation. At the time I didn't have any symptoms of CT, but fast-forward many months of hard work and by the end of September I was literally losing my grip in my right hand and not sleeping due to the numb (yet throbbingly painful) 'dead mackeral' attached to my elbow every night.

Wrist splints - these - worked for me (though bizarrely running a floor sander for a couple of days on a job really helped as well...) and by the time I saw a specialist again in November the symptoms were so slight that he was reluctant to recommend surgery; I'm lined up for cortizone injections if I need them, but so far, so good.

Obviously, 'your mileage may vary' but take on board what the specialists recommend. Best of luck.

Cheers, Pete.

 

[lurker]

Intesterting thing about this forum............. we get a near as dammitt expert (in the form of Adam) explaining that he would not give "blanket advise" and we then ignore him & carry on :roll:

Wizer - RSI does not exist

 

[wizer]

well i didn't say id had it properly diagnosed, the physio that i was seeing for my back reccomended some things to do to help and it works