dwagar
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
- Messages
- 4,451
Any hints on how best to deal with carpal tunnel when you still have to play?
Try and keep your wrist in a neutral position(straight & NOT bent) as much as possible.
If having your fingers quickly pulled (traction cavitation) relieves the symptoms and restores function, then yes to a chiropractor. If having one of your wrist bones (usually the lunate) manipulated relieves the pain, then yes to a chiropractor. But the majority of people that I've seen for CTS in my chiro office usually get referred out for a surgery consult. I do suggest the non-surgical route first to see if anything works, because once they cut that retinaculum, the wirst will never be 100% for heavy load bearing.
What's funny is that I was told to wear a brace/splint at night for what was diagnosed as a very mild case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but I never had my hand falling asleep at night until AFTER I started wearing the brace. And, no, I'm not wearing it too tight, but semi-loosely, as I was instructed. Could the flat metal piece, the splint actually be putting added pressure on the nerve? Everything I've read and been told says the opposite, but I find this coincidence to be anything BUT coincidental.
I'm really mean to my hands and right arm. Besides playing guitar, my career demands that I spend a lot of time on the computer as well as drawing on paper. Pretty much 8 - 14 hours a day 5 - 7 days a week. When my arm and hands starting feeling jacked I asked my dad who's an orthopedic surgeon to check me out. He's done tons of surgeries for people with CTS and RSS. He basically said that my condition was NOT very severe and that if I did some moderate strength training on my upper body it'd most likely go away. So I started going to the gym and working out on the machines 3 - 4 times a week and my problems went away.
Since I moved to LA in January I haven't joined a gym and now my arm is getting jacked again. So it looks like it's time for me to join a gym!
Talk to your doctor and see what options are available. You may not need surgery at all!
What's funny is that I was told to wear a brace/splint at night for what was diagnosed as a very mild case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but I never had my hand falling asleep at night until AFTER I started wearing the brace. And, no, I'm not wearing it too tight, but semi-loosely, as I was instructed. Could the flat metal piece, the splint actually be putting added pressure on the nerve? Everything I've read and been told says the opposite, but I find this coincidence to be anything BUT coincidental.
I saw Emil Pascarelli, MD in NYC years ago for RSD II, TOS, Carpal/Cubital Tunnel, etc. I was in pretty bad shape. He put me on a regimen of physical therapy along with some moderate strength training. Many of the problems have cleared up. But you have to be careful with weight lifting as well: some of those guys develop the same maladies as guitar players, i.e. carpal tunnel. Again, it's a question of warming up, stretching, keeping the wrist in a neutral/straight position when doing curls, presses, etc. and not over-doing it.