Numbness in my right hand fingers...

[Nuno A.]

I've been feeling this numbness and tickling im my right hand fingers for 2 or 3 weeks now( except in the pinky), i've been playing a lot lately, but in fact, not way more than usual, however i was 10 days in a row playing with a traditional jazz band and i had to slap a lot and play harder than usual... i know i will need to go to the doctor, thats the best advice i can have, but hes on vacations until the 25th and i would like to know if some of you had this in the past and what you did..(Carpal tunnel syndrome comes to my brain and scares me a lot... )
thanks in advance

NUNO

[christ andronis]

Originally Posted by basscrazy72

I've been feeling this numbness and tickling im my right hand fingers for 2 or 3 weeks now( except in the pinky), i've been playing a lot lately, but in fact, not way more than usual, however i was 10 days in a row playing with a traditional jazz band and i had to slap a lot and play harder than usual... i know i will need to go to the doctor, thats the best advice i can have, but hes on vacations until the 25th and i would like to know if some of you had this in the past and what you did..(Carpal tunnel syndrome comes to my brain and scares me a lot... )
thanks in advance

NUNO

First of all you should get to a doctor for an EMG (?) test where they shoot an electrical impulse through your hand to see if there's signal getting through your nerves to your hand. Do it now before your hand becomes completely numb. Wear a hand splint for awhile, particularly when you go to bed and see if that will help at all. At this point I would rest the hand until you see the doctor.

The reason I say this is because I just had the cast taken off yesterday from Carpal Tunnel surgery. My hand started with the numbness and eventually just stayed that way. I start rehab tomorrow and will hopefully be able to start playing again early next month.

I'm sure you'll get other advice that says to avoid surgery, but I felt that I really had no other options. I've tried acupunture....massage...the splint...Vitamin B6...rest....

Good luck


btw...where in Switzerland are you?

[Nuno A.]

Thanks a lot. in fact im trying to rest my hand, its not easy, but since i dont have to play until the 23rd, i decided to play only arco at home, and give my hand a rest... did your hand get worst before you decided to go trough surgery? (i've read cases of people that start with numbness and in the long way, become literaly crippled and couldnt move the hand at all). mine doesnt seem to get worst, but doesnt get better too, thats what scares me, anyway i will wait for the doctor and see what he will say, if i dont get worst, i think i will wait until the 25th for my doctor, if i feel that it gets worst, i will go to another one...
I already had tendinithis in the past, but i always cure them with rest and some pills, this is something new and very anoying... lets see what the doctor will say.
To answer your question, i live in Lugano, in the south of Switzerland(in the Italian speaking canton-Ticino), 30 minutes away from the Italian border... Good luck and have a great recovery....

NUNO

[christ andronis]

did your hand get worst before you decided to go trough surgery? (i've read cases of people that start with numbness and in the long way, become literaly crippled and couldnt move the hand at all).

Yes, it was a progressive thing with me. I let it go. When I asked the doctor what would happen if I didn't do anything he replied that eventually I wouldn't be able to grasp things... ...it was then that I decided it was time to get it taken care of.

The reason I ask your location is that I have a very dear friend (keyboard player) who is living in Geneva. I was there a year or so ago and we were cruising in the mountains by Chamonix and surrounding areas. What a beautiful country you live in.

[Nuno A.]

when you say progressive you are talking about a month, 2 , half an year?
about Switzerland, is indeed a beautiful country, that region you're talking about, is very beautiful, but without trying to sound silly, all Switzerland is beautifull,small country but with many different climas... i live near the lake surrounded by palm trees, kinda florida style, but with the mountains surrounding it...just great, but the best is that is still a quiet country(at least compaired with others in Europe or the States), i lived in Denver and in Berlin in Germany , so i know what im talking about, and pretty good place to be a musician, lots of festivals ..anyway, thanks for your info...

NUNO

[christ andronis]

when you say progressive you are talking about a month, 2 , half an year?

Well, I've had it off and on for about 2 years. Last winter, we had a particularly cold week of sub-zero temps here in Chicago (imagine that....Chicago...cold in the winter ) and it must have triggered the condition because the numbness never went away after that. My first three fingers (right hand) just stayed in a permanent condition of numbness. I'm really hopeful that the surgery and better care of my hands will correct this. Everyone has an opinion as to the effectiveness of the treatment but nothing definitive; it must be treated on a case by case basis. In your case, if it just started, you may have an easier time of it. In any case, I'd be interested in hearing what course of treatment is recommended for you.

peace

[BluesBass]

If it's Carpul Tunnel your thumb, index finger, middle finger and HALF of your ring finger will get numb/tingly(not a medical term) and maybe pain as it advances. Doing hand stretching exercizes and/or some anti-inflamitory meds with the hand/wrist splint mentioned before helped me alot. I would be awakend in the night with alot of pain in my left hand, now I have none. I also cut my practing down by about a half. Stretching exercizes relieves the pressure on the nerves that go through the Carpul Tunnel(the nerves in your little finger and the other half of your ring finger do not go through the Carpul Tunnel).
I did this and have no pain anymore. The anti-inflamitory I use is Alleve, sold over the counter here, and my doctor said what I was doing was right on.

Hope this helps
Do see your Doctor soon.
Neil (not a Doctor, just working past the pain)

[christ andronis]

If it's Carpul Tunnel your thumb, index finger, middle finger and HALF of your ring finger will get numb/tingly(not a medical term) and maybe pain as it advances.

The Carpal Tunnel WILL make your hand numb/tingly, but pain means something else, maybe arthritis. The way the orthopedist (sp?) explained to me, your hand doesn't hurt with Carpal Tunnel, it just gets progressively number till you can't grasp anymore. You're right about the Aleve though, it really helps the pain. I'n addition to the CTS, I've got a broken bone in my wrist that never healed and has developed arthritis. I take two Aleve about an hour before a gig and it works wonders.

peace

[BluesBass]

Pain can be part of CTS, it will be in the same fingers that the numbness is in if it gets worse. Check out this link http://www.orthohelp.com/carpal.htm and pain is listed there. My Pain and Numbness went away about two days after I started the stretching, Hand splint, Alleve and practicing less. I even double checked my technique with my instructor and decided that since I was new to the DB I needed to go easy until I built up some strength in my fingers and hand. Anyway seeing a Dr. is the only way to know for sure.

Good Luck,
Neil

[mikemulcahy]

Carpal tunnel syndrome results from entrapment of the median nerve in the wrist. Common symptoms are tingling, numbness, and pain in the hand that may radiate to the forearm or shoulder. Surgical treatment is widely preferred to non-surgical or conservative therapies for people who have overt symptoms, while mild cases are usually not treated.

The physical examination for carpal tunnel syndrome has been consistently shown to be unreliable, with poor concordance between self-reported symptoms, physical examination findings (including the Tinel and Phalen tests), and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) results. Diagnosing CTS ideally should include objective confirmation with electromyogram (EMG) and NCV studies.


CTS should occur more often in the hand that is used more often to perform the job. Occupational hand uses that are considered ergonomic risk factors for developing CTS include those involving highly repetitive awkward wrist movement, high handgrip and pinch force, and those associated with high vibration.

It is worth mentioning that published studies have not consistently accounted for potentially confounding factors that could influence the development of CTS. Although most have controlled for advanced age and female sex— both identified to increase the risk of CTS—many other nonbiomechanical factors that have been associated with an increased risk of developing CTS but not directly attributable to workplace practices often are not taken into consideration. These include the diagnosis of metabolic disease (diabetes, thyroid disease), autoimmune systemic disease (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, connective tissue disorder), hormone-related status (pregnancy/postpartum), and anthropometric factors (wrist dimension, size of carpal tunnel). It is conceivable that some or most of these factors in a given patient may have contributed to the development of CTS.


Current evidence shows significant short-term benefit from oral steroids, splinting, ultrasound, yoga and carpal bone mobilisation. Other non-surgical treatments do not produce significant benefit.

Hope that helps


Mike

[Alexi David]

any of you tried ultrasound? I begin treatment tomorrow, yet I read that US scientists now say that it doesn't really do anything! It's only makes you feel better, but you don't heal. Any thoughts?

[godoze]

I had a bout in '96 . They stuck ultrasonic probes in the muscles of both arms ( I had it in both arms from fingertips to shoulders.) Bottom line was that I couldn't play for a year and i had to waer braces on both hands. I couldn't even hold a fork.

[Ed Fuqua]

My girlfriend has had good results with a combination of physical therapy, acupuncture and tai chi. She had just started getting to the pointof tingling numbness in her fingers. The thing that tai chi seems to be good for is increasing circulation to the extremities. She's always suffered from cold hands and feet, but in the last couple of years (she's been doing tai chi for about 6 years now) it's been a non issue. Likewise CTS symptoms.

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by DZ

I had a bout in '96 . They stuck ultrasonic probes in the muscles of both arms ( I had it in both arms from fingertips to shoulders.) Bottom line was that I couldn't play for a year and i had to waer braces on both hands. I couldn't even hold a fork.

[Alexi David]

There's days when I wanna quit playing Bass. I feel so discouraged and tired of trying to heal. I think that maybe I should quit performing and just concentrate on composing and arranging. Maybe I should just wait till I get to NYC and learn Alexander, etc....

[anonymous0726]

It was gonna be me or Don O:

Checkout Alexander Technique. This way you fix the problem (mis-use) that is causing the injury. If you don't change your ways you'll never get straightened out.

This doesn't mean to ignore the other advice -- it's all good. But to get over it permanantly you're going to have to unlearn some bad habits.

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

It was gonna be me or Don O:

Checkout Alexander Technique. This way you fix the problem (mis-use) that is causing the injury. If you don't change your ways you'll never get straightened out.

This doesn't mean to ignore the other advice -- it's all good. But to get over it permanantly you're going to have to unlearn some bad habits.

I know, I still have your teacher's # - but I'm not in NYC yet.....
I've been reading through a book on Alexander, but much like bass, GET A TEACHER! lol

Also very beneficial for me will be a Bass teacher, which I can't wait to get (once in NY). I've been correcting some things on my own (and with this forum), but a lot, I can't. Most of my DB experience is self-taught (formal lessons on slab).

If any of you are still debating that you don't need a teacher, think again. You guys have great teachers all around you and put your ego in front - me, there's no teachers here and I'm dying for one. In other words, Take advantage of what you have - it will only help you!

[preaching mode off].....

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

One day a few years back I woke up with numb arms. All the way from the shoulder down. This eventually settled to just the hands but it was still pretty frightening. I went to the office of a specialist, Dr. Hand, I kid you not, but ran out after he diagnosed me with Carpal after a two minute consultation (he left the room for a second and I ditched). I tried everything I could think of to fix the situation. I didn't play for months. Then the first time I picked up a bass, it happened immediately! Man, it just freaked me out. Eventually I started to get an understanding of what was going on. Some days my thumb and index finger would go numb. Other days it would be the other three fingers. I started to figure out where those impingement points were and began icing them daily. Yeah, yeah I know, icing....everyone has a theory on icing: first hot then cold...no first cold then hot...no, never ice after the first day etc. etc. But, for me, it worked wonders. I would buy a couple of ice gel packs and keep them in the freezer. Anytime I felt any tingling at all I would sit and ice three main points: wrist, elbow and shoulder where the tendons connect the arm. I would do each spot for about fifteen minutes. I did this religiously before going to bed at night and also when I got up in the morning. It made perfect sense to me though noone told me to do it nor did I find any such suggestion on any website. I just figured that if you have an inflamation, you should try to reduce the swelling. Products like Advil actually reduce your bodies output of natural anti-inflamatory defense. (I don't remember where I read that but I think it is true). It's kind of like using chapstic for chapped lips, the more you use it the more your body will depend on it. So, maybe you're still not convinced? Just do yourself a favor and try it for a few days and see if it doesn't reduce the numbness. It saved me from so much expense and worry plus it put the power and responsibility of healing on me instead of a drug or doctor. And lastly, be very cautious about advice for any kind of surgery...it is usually NOT the answer.

The ortho I'm seeing says I'm not surgery material, not even close, since I still have a significant amount of strength in my hands (when my hands are healthy, they are death-defyingly strong). I find that ice helps too. I have this ice-gel pack that you wear on your arm, and it helps. Though you've got me thinkin now about being more aggressive with the ice. Also taking these synthetic Super Vitamin B pills which help. Thanks....