Carpal tunnel syndrome, really?

[Raman]

Thanks for all the support and the many suggestions. Really appreciated.
We all know none of us are doctors and it's dangerous to try and self-diagnose/self-treat yourself. That's not the point here.
I'm now simply better equipped with questions to ask my Dr on the next visit. That's the point.

Cheers!

 

[Raman]

IIRC, that's why Scott Devine wears the glove in his videos. He had a bad problem with dystonia. There was a vid on YouTube about his experience.

I actually thought about him and his glove... Something to try for sure!

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

My neuroscientist of a wife also suspects it could be dystonia...

it effects 1% of musicians and is fairly rare, or debilitating or severe cases of it tend to at least that rare.

i think its probably a repetative strain injury. those can feel quite bad, 3 months ago mine was pretty debilitating, my hands hurt really bad, theyd stiffen up after any activity and often times they would hurt one or 3 hours after i did something with my hands for seemingly no reason. id wake up and could barely move them, playing bass would eventually lead to them being barely able to move. i got fired from my job around the time this started and played music for like 8 hours a day till i found a new job. it was mostly drumming that did it, i played with a stiff wrist and the impact and the motion pretty much jacked up both wrists pretty bad. its probably a tendon or nerve strain injury, those take a while to heal, its obnoxious for sure. id do the wrist brace though, it takes a while to feel the difference, but it does make a huge difference in being functional or not.

in the meantime you're doing what i do psychologically. though the dr google comment from doctors is annoying sometimes it is a good suggestion, you can cause a lot of undue stress on yourself looking up different ailments it could be! if it was a brain issue or a nervous system issue youd have worse symptoms and that would for sure show up on a nerve test like the one you had. basically that test determines nerve conductivity. if youre having like shocks running thorugh your system, that would(id imagine) be because of delayed responses in nerves, or nerves holding a singal poorly etc. only other thing i can think of that could be causing nerves to blast a signal like that locking up muscles is like tetanus or something but its obviously not tetanus.

i think you blasted your tendons or nerves, and its gonna take about 2 to 3 months to start feeling better, it sucks im in the same boat. i disagree with going online and asking other people about this being bad for this, this is kinda a budget group therapy, and its good to hear that the pain does decrease or end, or that other people also get injured!

but do wear that wrist brace at night, you get a free 8 hours of immobilization and rest when you sleep with that on. if you dont wear it, its as bad as going 24 hours of using your wrists with improper wrist posture!

 

[Williethump]

I have CTS myself and have done a lot of research on it, and these symptoms sound nothing like it! Numbness and tingling in the fingers and/or wrist pain are almost always the first symptoms and they are usually related to activity and positioning at least at first. Nerve conduction tests can apparently be misleading, especially when the findings are not 'severe' according to the grading scale they use. I also have cramps (in my legs) and I agree with the suggestion about magnesium supplements (also calcium). These can be very helpful! And stretching is always a good idea.

Yes, numbness, tingling. The surgery instantly got rid of that for me years ago, in exchange for 25% weaker grip, slight decreased mobility on two smaller fingers- a good trade for me since I only need two adroit fingers on my plucking hand.
My brother just got the CT surgery and says so far he has exchanged numbness and tingling with pain so YMMV. Good luck. PT, stretches and heat are my friends in old age.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I know, I know. I'm one of those weird people that hates bananas!

 

[DJ Bebop]

Yes, numbness, tingling. The surgery instantly got rid of that for me years ago, in exchange for 25% weaker grip, slight decreased mobility on two smaller fingers- a good trade for me since I only need two adroit fingers on my plucking hand.
My brother just got the CT surgery and says so far he has exchanged numbness and tingling with pain so YMMV. Good luck. PT, stretches and heat are my friends in old age.

The only negative thing I see is a numb spot in the middle of my right palm ten years in.

 

[slagheap]

Hi,

It’s not my habit to ask for medical advice on the Web. The reason I’m doing so now is I just had a carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis yesterday, but I’m really not sure about it. Maybe someone will have a personal insight or experience to share.


So, I’ve been having this condition for maybe 3 years where my hands experience spasms and heavy cramps. Here are the salient aspects:

-It doesn’t happen because of tiredness or use. I use my hands all day long, lift heavy objects, etc. and most of the time they’re working perfectly fine.

-The cramping will usually happen when I’m at rest, and apparently completely randomly. I can go for a week without it occurring, and sometimes it’ll happen repeatedly for days. It almost exclusively happens in the evening.

What happens exactly?

-It’ll start with spasms and twitching, in the fingers or palm, which get more intense until basically all the hand starts cramping really severely, making it look like a deformed claw.

-By cramping “severely”, I mean so hard that I can’t simply open up my hand once it starts. I need my other hand and quite a bit of strength to un-claw my cramped fingers.

-It affects my left or right hand in turn, again seemingly randomly.

-When it’s occurring, the only way I can “solve” it is to let the hand cramp up completely, under terrible pain, for several minutes until it finally exhausts itself. But then all my muscles and tendons will ache really badly for days.

-When I try to not let it cramp, for example by relaxing and keeping all my fingers straight, the hand will twitch and try to cramp at any movement I make. And it will last usually until the next morning (meaning it finally goes away after I sleep). While it’s happening, I cannot use my hand for anything, as any movement ends up in a cramp.


It took a while before it could be investigated, but my Dr finally sent me for an EMG this week. And the specialist’s conclusion is I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. He thinks that’s what triggers it all. His solution is I should wear braces.


The reason I’m dubious is I’ve never heard such symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome before. All my research on the subject also doesn’t associate carpal tunnel with that kind of cramping. Usually, they talk of the fingers going numb, which I don’t experience at all.

I’m neither a Dr nor a neuroscientist, but this looks more like wild neuronal discharges to me... I’d be very happy if it is indeed only carpal tunnel, as that can be managed. The other option, that it could be due to nerve or the brain degenerating, is a lot more distressing.


Anyways, I will definitely talk to my Dr again about this in 10 days, when he gets the specialist’s report. But if anybody has any relevant experience to share, or ideas as to where else I could possibly search for clues, I’d appreciate.

nothing like the symptoms of CP i've ever heard of. both my mother ( waitressing, ) and sister ( gardening, ) have had CP syndrome: numbness and buzzing, particularly noticeable at night or when otherwise at rest. never severe pain, twitching, or cramping. eventually both had the common " clipping " surgery to pretty much solve the problems.

 

[Lenny JG]

IIRC, that's why Scott Devine wears the glove in his videos. He had a bad problem with dystonia. There was a vid on YouTube about his experience.

You're correct

 

[Lenny JG]

it effects 1% of musicians and is fairly rare, or debilitating or severe cases of it tend to at least that rare.

i think its probably a repetative strain injury. those can feel quite bad, 3 months ago mine was pretty debilitating, my hands hurt really bad, theyd stiffen up after any activity and often times they would hurt one or 3 hours after i did something with my hands for seemingly no reason. id wake up and could barely move them, playing bass would eventually lead to them being barely able to move. i got fired from my job around the time this started and played music for like 8 hours a day till i found a new job. it was mostly drumming that did it, i played with a stiff wrist and the impact and the motion pretty much jacked up both wrists pretty bad. its probably a tendon or nerve strain injury, those take a while to heal, its obnoxious for sure. id do the wrist brace though, it takes a while to feel the difference, but it does make a huge difference in being functional or not.

in the meantime you're doing what i do psychologically. though the dr google comment from doctors is annoying sometimes it is a good suggestion, you can cause a lot of undue stress on yourself looking up different ailments it could be! if it was a brain issue or a nervous system issue youd have worse symptoms and that would for sure show up on a nerve test like the one you had. basically that test determines nerve conductivity. if youre having like shocks running thorugh your system, that would(id imagine) be because of delayed responses in nerves, or nerves holding a singal poorly etc. only other thing i can think of that could be causing nerves to blast a signal like that locking up muscles is like tetanus or something but its obviously not tetanus.

i think you blasted your tendons or nerves, and its gonna take about 2 to 3 months to start feeling better, it sucks im in the same boat. i disagree with going online and asking other people about this being bad for this, this is kinda a budget group therapy, and its good to hear that the pain does decrease or end, or that other people also get injured!

but do wear that wrist brace at night, you get a free 8 hours of immobilization and rest when you sleep with that on. if you dont wear it, its as bad as going 24 hours of using your wrists with improper wrist posture!

Being a musician doesn't relate to dystonia. When I'm at rest my feet have very similar symptoms to his hands, and I have dystonia. Idk worth a thought for sure though

 

[MegaSwing]

I have found that when my hands are tired from work and I’ve been drinking, which itself is seriously dehydrating, my hands, but mostly my plucking hand, are prone to cramping. My job, which is fraught with repetitive motion activity, has definitely aggravated this issue. I try to keep a pick nearby, because it can get me through these episodes, and picking can be executed without a lot of fine dexterity. But, believe me, when this happens, it is terrifying.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Being a musician doesn't relate to dystonia. When I'm at rest my feet have very similar symptoms to his hands, and I have dystonia. Idk worth a thought for sure though

for sure, not to dismiss anyones condition, im just saying its probably the more likely and more common scenario in this case rather than something less common. injury pain can delay itself, especially if its early on into the injury, the things the body does to heal take time, fluid and swelling etc might not get there till like 3 hours later sometimes.

 

[LBS-bass]

Being a musician doesn't relate to dystonia. When I'm at rest my feet have very similar symptoms to his hands, and I have dystonia. Idk worth a thought for sure though

Except there is something called “musicians dystonia” which happens to many musicians due to repetitive hand strains. You can look it up for more info.

 

[Lenny JG]

Except there is something called “musicians dystonia” which happens to many musicians due to repetitive hand strains. You can look it up for more info.

Fair enough, learn something new every day; but it seems to only affect people when they are playing an instrument which is like what Scott devine has I suppose.

 

[g-dude]

Except there is something called “musicians dystonia” which happens to many musicians due to repetitive hand strains. You can look it up for more info.

Not just hands. It can affect the face muscles of horn players.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Except there is something called “musicians dystonia” which happens to many musicians due to repetitive hand strains. You can look it up for more info.

the musicians variety is pretty rare amongst musicians from what I’ve read on the internet here


“Task-specific focal dystonia affects an estimated 7 to 69 per million people in the general population. Musician's dystonia that is severe enough to impact performance occurs in about 1 percent of musicians.”


I’m just saying this for OPs sake, it’s very unlikely that is what’s going on. dystonias are kinda mysterious, and they’re different, they range from mild and common things like writers cramp, to severe, rare and debilitating things like musicians dystonia.


pain is weird and mysterious, and sometimes it’s delayed, the body is also good at putting off the sensation for a while, you’re not in pain when you’re working out in the gym, but the next day you’re sore. As is the case with OP, he may not feel pain while he’s active during the day, but at night there’s spasms and pain.

It’s really scary to face this kinda stuff for the first time but give it three months and it will start to improve, I’d start by getting a good wrist brace for sleeping. I had really bad trigger finger from playing video games competitively and it went away by basically taking breaks in between matches. With trigger finger you can feel the joint lock come in and you can sort of figure when to back off it.

big key to figuring it out though is whether or not the pinky gets stuck, carpal tunnel and trigger finger normally don’t effect the pink cause it’s on a different nerve.

joints locking or cramping or freezing like that is very normal for any kind of injury to nerves tendons etc.

 

[JimK]

To specify, the test was an EMG (Electromyography), where they sent current into the nerves and measured response time. The Dr concluded from it that I have mild CTS in both hands.

Year ago, I had that test. It is no joke!
My issue was a pinched nerve in my left elbow + mildCTS.
Specialist noticed some muscle atrophy in my hand (between the thumb & index finger).
No pain, nothing...just noticed I was losing power in my left hand. So, opening bottles/jars, holding items. Worse...playing bass became a chore & no fun.

 

[Hypercaffium]

I feel you, man.
I currently have golfer elbow on both my arms and it's really annoying. Unfortunately I do 3 things in my life that can lead to inflammation, if I'm not careful. I work on a computer almost all day, I play drums, and I'm also a Calisthenics athlete. Playing bass doesn't make things worse by itself, but it's painful if there is inflammation.
Rest, recover, do some exercises for your hands and of course see a doctor.