Quote:
Originally Posted by zachoff  |
Zachoff, thank you so much for mentioning this! I was hoping to respond to this days ago, but I had to do some work-based traveling to do. Now that I'm back, I can take my time to write this.
By the way, I checked out the video and it's pretty much on the money. There are a lot of other techniques that can be employed, but the Massage Nerd is definitely on the right track.
First off, I feel I should establish my
bona fides;
Professionally, I've been a certified practicing massage and neuromuscular therapist for the past 18 years. Alongside the standard Swedish Massage curriculum, my school had a strong foundation in Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT: precision pain and trigger point relief), Sports Massage and Flexibility. Pain relief, recuperation and rehabilitation have been, and still are, my specialities…all the way from garden variety repetitive stress to victims of construction accidents. (side note: Anyone let me know if you need some tips dealing with TMJ issues. It's a curse I'm all too familiar with!)
Secondly, I'm not going to give you any absolutes, just suggestions and options. I won't tell you to "ignore your doctor/he's a quack sawbones/I know better/blah blah blah". I'm no doctor and can only make recommendations based on my particular training and professional experience. However, being a syndrome directly affecting the soft tissues does drop it squarely into my field of practice.
In short, you have a serious issue that I've worked on before and I might be able offer some friendly advice.
That being said, I'm hoping, with some input from you, I can get a clearer idea of the problems you're facing and maybe come up with some solutions to keep you from unnecessarily going "under the knife". Not to try to sound scary,
but once you take that step, for better or for worse you cannot undo it. My concern is that a serious reduction of tendinous tissue, as well as significant scar tissue, might leave you with less than 100% use and dexterity in the long run.
I'd like to ask some serious questions about your particular brand of CTS, but I'll more than understand if you'd either prefer to respond via PM's (in my business, confidentiality and privacy are crucial) or to just ignore them outright. I won't take it personally since you don't know me from a hole-in-the-wall.
1. What are the overt symptoms?
Pain
Tingling/Burning
Numbness
Decreased Range of Motion (ROM)
2. How long has it been an issue? When did you first notice even the slightest symptoms?
3. Any preceding injuries involving your hands/arms/shoulders?
Childhood injuries count too
Neck/spinal injuries and issues could be part of the greater problem (eg: compensation...you might be surprised at the incredible level of "cause & effect" that goes on in the body)
4. Is there a history of arthritis or other joint-based conditions in your family? Relatedly, do you get flare-ups alongside changes in the weather? (eg: arthritics and people who've had joint surgeries/injuries often feel worse when the humidity increases)
5. What kinds of repetitive stress are your hands/arms/shoulders subjected to? Bass playing falls into the "DUH!!" category, but there are several other forms of stress. What else might be contributing?
Computer work (most people don't realize how much stress "rockin' the mouse" or a bad office chair can cause)
Long-distance driving
Domestic/Household/Workplace cleaning (eg: I've messed up my lower back just by using a large, heavy upright vacuum cleaner too aggressively)
Sports activity (too many to cover here, but lets just say, as an example, there are reasons I call golf and tennis "self-induced whiplash")
That's all I can think off right now. I'll add more to this should I think of anything else relevant. Like I said, feel free to PM me if you want to discuss this outside public view. Even if you don't want to respond, thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope all works out for the best and that whatever path you take is the best for your particular case.
