Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the Hobby - any experiences?

[Gunbird]

I've been diagnosed last week with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists, and now the proud owner of some serious wrist guards. And the lovely feeling of having a car parked on both hands/wrists.

Anyone else had this before or having it now? I've noticed my fine motorskills are down the drain, and I have no idea how long this will last.... (Not going to Google that again, too many horror stories).

[Michi]

Johan, my wife used to have it and had ambulant surgery which fixed the problem once and for all. I recommend to search a specialized surgeon to carry this out.

[robh]

I have had operations on both wrists for it. Miniature Painting as a hobby and long hours untrained typing on a PC keyboard at work, either will lead to it eventually, both will much sooner.

You have to get it operated, it will not sort itself out and will continue to worsen and increases in discomfort. Operation is simple, they do one hand at a time. Relief is instant and recovery is about a week each time.  They estimated 90% plus of people will not have the problem re-occur after surgery.

[Plynkes]

My mum is not in the hobby, but her experience was much as described above. She had it, it became a problem, she had the operation and hasn't thought about it since.

[Hawkeye]

Surgery - although successful - is  not always the first port of call. More conservative treatment (physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and  rest) is usually indicated first, and can be  successful. The  use of splints is usually part of such treatment.
My own carpal tunnel syndrome problems are just a small part of my  much broader neurological problems, which have included, to date, a dozen cervical spinal surgeries. I have permanent nerve damage, and have lost a lot of fine motor skills in my hands. On the plus side, painting miniatures helps to restore (as much as is possible, at any rate) those motor skills, so I feel good about those days when a miniature comes together, because  not only have I completed another miniature, I have also contributed to my own healing! Win-win!
In short, surgeons like to perform surgery. With carpal tunnel syndrome, it is often successful, but any surgery should be entered into with caution.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

[Antonio J Carrasco]

Don't know if I have, as never went to the doctor. I have some symptoms that can be carpal tunnel syndrome: I loss sensibility in my fingertips after a few minutes grabbing a brush or a pencil, pain in the wrists and thumb, tingling sensation in the hands, followed by numbness... It only happens when I am grabbing something, otherwise there are no symptom at all, besides some temporary rigidity in the fingers, that passes with some exercises. Maybe I should go to the doctor...

[zemjw]

I get loads of wrist and general joint pain and have noticed my elbow, of all things, becoming very sore after a long painting session. I spend my entire working day in front of a computer, so RSI and such things are very much on my mind a lot of the time.

There are many books on the subject that may be worth investigating. One I bought back in 2004 (according to Amazon) is It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It's always worth reading up on the subject, especially if surgery is involved.

Whatever happens, I hope you get it fixed

[Gunbird]

Thx guys. After my last checkup my fysiotherapist commented again I have carpal tunnel in both wirsts, but also show symptoms of other issues, but I'm giving off so many signals he scheduled an appointment for me, him and 2 of my colleagues to have a prodding and discussion session. Jay....I've upgraded to Level 2 Guinea pig.

[Daeothar]

I've struggled with almost the same (but only the right hand) for years. I blame excessive binge gaming Diablo on my PC back in the day (entire nights, starting at 1900h, ending around 0500h with only bathroom and beer-fetching breaks, for months on end. Hey; I was a student with just two scheduled  courses that semester ).

It plagued me for years, till I started using an ergonomical mouse (plus no more clickerdiclickerdiclick PC games anymore). This resulted in the pain (specifically the two tendons on the back of my hand leading to my index- and middlefinger) to decreasae to a point where it's almost gone.

Only when using Excel for extended periods of time these days, or anything requiring a lot of clicking, will I feel some slight irritation, but that's to an acceptable degree for me, and I know (now) to rest my hands in time.

I did have another issue for years though; for the longest time, I thought that I was developing arthritis in both of my hands.

Sometimes, especially during colder and wetter periods, I would wake up with my hands frozen in an almost claw-like pose, and I would be almost unable to move them without pain until I could slowly warm them up under hot water (usually in the shower).

Then, the creaking and pain would stop, but before that moment, I would be unable to even pick up stuff.

I had that thoroughly checked, but there was no indication of anything arthritic or related to rheumatism. Still; it bothered me greatly, and it severely hampered my  painting. In fact, it so impacted my ability to paint well,that i reached a point where I had to accept that I would never improve, but would only decrease in results due to my hands.

Then my wife and I bought a new box spring bed, as our old one was, well, old. Plus a new set of expensive, shaped pillows.

And my hand-issues were gone almost overnight!

No really: it turns out that my old mattress and pillows caused several arteries and veins to be cut off during sleep, resulting in cramped arm muscles, which meant painful and locked hands.

And for some reason, this was aggravated by cold and damp conditions, and since we always have a bedroom window open...

Sometimes the causes of physical discomfort ought to be sought in places one would not normally think of...

So all the best trying to find a solution!

[Mr. Peabody]

OK, late to the party here, but back in the mid '90's I had carpal tunnel issues bad enough that they prevented me from working. My family doctor suggested I needed steroids, surgery and that I would never work again in my chosen career.

Faced with such a bleak prognosis, I cracked and went to a reputable acupuncturist. Six treatments later I was good as new and for the last 23 years I have continued to enjoy the pleasure of painting, the utility of chopsticks and the benefits of typing.

We are lucky on the west coast of Canada to have a rich pool of talent when it comes to traditional Chinese medicine. Johan, I hope you have the opportunity to find the same relief I did. You have always been an inspiring hobby guy and I'd hate to miss you on the interwebs as a result of carpal tunnel issues.

[Gunbird]

Thx guys...

I'm now on my 2nd Fysiotherapist and 3rd Doctor, and about the only thing they agree on is that I have Carpal Tunnel in both wirsts. Depending on who you talk to I also have trigger fingers, a tennis arm, neural damage due to me getting hit by a car 3 years ago and something I keep forgetting the name of.

6 weeks in now and still no change, brace is doing nothing for me, I can take all the rest in the world but as soon as I lift a spraycan, a box of models or one of my daughters I'm back to level 10 pain.

I'm requesting a check up by a neurologist to see if he/she can tell me more.

Thx Peabody, I've had accupuncture in the past for the pain after my accident and for allergies, in both cases it was very relaxing to lie there but it did nothing for me

[Mr. Peabody]

Hoping the specialists can get it sorted!

[3 fingers]

Had similar issues here they said I never tested positive for it but left hand cramps , and I wake up in morning or even at night left hand is like a claw , an I struggle to straighten my fingers out ,
I haven’t done any modelling for ages an sold some off but thinking of less detailed an possibly larger miniatures that are easier to hold .