Riding with carpol tunnels

Lambkins

Lambkins

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Lately my hands have been so bad I struggle to hold the reins :( 10mins in to my lesson /hack /schooling and I have to stop and let go of the reins as I simply can hold them :( anyone else suffer ? I have been to the doctors and have been given stronger anti inflams but still so painful ...tips welcome...or has anyone had to op ?
 
Do you know what triggers the pain/discomfort?
Usually, having mine at a funny angle hurts but my CT is mild. I wear splints at night to keep my wrists in neutral position to try and help.
Do you have a horse who's heavy in the hand or do you grip too much?
One thing that does help if my wrists start to hurt whilst riding is to bridge the reins. It sort of evens out the tension as you have something from hand to hand as well as hand to mouth (horses!). Hope that makes sense.
 
I suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and I was going to get the op last year but then looked at the recovery time and the fact I couldn't have both wrists done at once, anywhere between 2-4 months recovery time with no riding was absolutely out of the question! I also wear splints at night which helps and I take Diclofenac. If I find I am getting pain while riding really shake your hand/wrist around, this was recommended by my Rheumatologist so is legit, it really gets the blood moving. I've not ridden in my splints before, I think it would be impossible unless I was on a plod who neck reined!
 
I had both hands operated on last year. My surgeon offered to do them both together, but I declined as I live alone, so had the ops 4 weeks apart. I was signed off work for 2 weeks, but pretty much told to try and live normally (even though it hurt!) from 48 hours after the op, so it didn't get swollen and stiff. Surgeon said I could muck out a week after the op, providing I kept the wound clean. After I had the stitches out after 2 weeks I was riding, back to work, driving and living pretty much normally. I could probably have ridden sooner, but was a bit paranoid about the stitches...

So glad I had the op - I was averaging about 2 hours sleep a night because of the pain (which over the course of a year was pretty unpleasant), and I was losing all feeling in my hands while doing stuff during the day (including riding). I was offered a cortisone injection, but refused it as I don't like them (had unsuccessful injections in my hip) and the results are temporary anyway. I would say get the nerve tests done to confirm it's carpal tunnel, and I would really recommend the surgery as it's an instant cure.

The complete recovery time is quite long - it probably took about 6 months for me to be able to take my full weight on my hand while it was at 90 degrees to my wrist, but I was living normally with only what I would call mild/bearable discomfort doing certain things after 2 weeks, and there was improvement all the time. I made a broccoli and stilton soup about 3 days post op (chopping the onion was interesting!) and although I had to get the yard owners to get my horse in and out of the field for a week or 2, I still went up and did her feeds (including the day I was operated on) and also managed to work out how to hang a haynet 1 handed! :D

Let me know if you want to know any more...
 
I have mild CT.

Mine is worse if my hands are gripping something too tight - ie doing the dishes/writing/wiping down a surface etc so when it happens while I'm riding I usually find I'm gripping the reins too tight.

In a way it's been a (painful!) blessing in disguise as it's made me ride with much softer hands lol ;)
 
Sorry no tips, but I sympathise. I have Carpal tunnel and also Ulnar too..which means that sometimes my hands don't work well. I have night time splints like Kath_Bath. I've always been light in the hand, and ride with my seat more than my hands, so...well..it doesn't impact much. Ibuprofen/Voltarol are very useful!
ETA Gripping stuff is pants when one has this...I cannot undo jars etc. Infuriating!
 
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Hi there, I do sympathise.... I had both hands operated on at the same time around 5 years ago. This solved the pain instantly but has left me with a lack of feeling in my hands. I insisted on having both done at once as I couldn't spare time off work (ran riding stables at the time).

Recovery wasn't too bad...I wore rubber gloves for most thing, and was going down a fake ski slope in a inner tube a few days after. Would have been ok, but reached the bottom, realised I couldn't get myself out so was stuck in!
Unfortunately my hands are still weak, I cannot weight bear on them and don't believe I ever will. I think I went back to work far too early, and was expected to be back to full strength instantly, so I suspect I didn't recover as well as I could have done.
 
Hmm .. I have had the jabs a few times over the years .. And I'm sick of the lack of sleep !! Sick of sleeping with my hands hanging out of the bed ;) I can't hold a pen to long as my hands start .. Now it's affecting my riding :( sometimes I can be just walking along and I feel it starting .. I was offered the op a few years back up my son was very young so I said no ..but maybe it's time ? :/
 
I have them and I honestly recommend having the op. It's a little recovery time yeah but if your having to let go of reins after 10 mins then isn't it worth it? The op has worked wonders for me. Hope you feel better
 
moodymare_1993 said:
I have them and I honestly recommend having the op. It's a little recovery time yeah but if your having to let go of reins after 10 mins then isn't it worth it? The op has worked wonders for me. Hope you feel better
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Thoroughly agree with this. Had mine done nearly twenty years ago and have never had any problems with my hands since. I was back full time with the horses within weeks. Yes there is a short recovery period but so worth it if you can live pain free for years afterwards. Good luck whatever you decide.
 
I had the surgery a lot of years ago it was pain free and I was back to normal the next day. was able to ride and do the horses from when I had the pressure bandages off and stitches out so after about 10 days no weakness in fact I am stronger and more flexible since The scar looks a little odd as they took a ganglion from the tendon at the same time so my scar looks like a question mark
 
SpottyMare said:
I had both hands operated on last year. My surgeon offered to do them both together, but I declined as I live alone, so had the ops 4 weeks apart. I was signed off work for 2 weeks, but pretty much told to try and live normally (even though it hurt!) from 48 hours after the op, so it didn't get swollen and stiff. Surgeon said I could muck out a week after the op, providing I kept the wound clean. After I had the stitches out after 2 weeks I was riding, back to work, driving and living pretty much normally. I could probably have ridden sooner, but was a bit paranoid about the stitches...

So glad I had the op - I was averaging about 2 hours sleep a night because of the pain (which over the course of a year was pretty unpleasant), and I was losing all feeling in my hands while doing stuff during the day (including riding). I was offered a cortisone injection, but refused it as I don't like them (had unsuccessful injections in my hip) and the results are temporary anyway. I would say get the nerve tests done to confirm it's carpal tunnel, and I would really recommend the surgery as it's an instant cure.

The complete recovery time is quite long - it probably took about 6 months for me to be able to take my full weight on my hand while it was at 90 degrees to my wrist, but I was living normally with only what I would call mild/bearable discomfort doing certain things after 2 weeks, and there was improvement all the time. I made a broccoli and stilton soup about 3 days post op (chopping the onion was interesting!) and although I had to get the yard owners to get my horse in and out of the field for a week or 2, I still went up and did her feeds (including the day I was operated on) and also managed to work out how to hang a haynet 1 handed! :D

Let me know if you want to know any more...
Click to expand...


good to know as i'm booked to have my right hand done on Tuesday!! i haven't ridden this winter as my hands are so bad now, numb thumbs, pins and needles in my fingers and pain in my hands and wrists, have had CTS since 2005 but have had enough now!
 
Ibblebibble said:
good to know as i'm booked to have my right hand done on Tuesday!! i haven't ridden this winter as my hands are so bad now, numb thumbs, pins and needles in my fingers and pain in my hands and wrists, have had CTS since 2005 but have had enough now!
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There's nothing quite like that combination of pain, pins & needles and deadness.... Good luck with the op - I definitely think it's worth it :)

As an aside to those folks who are leaving it, my mum had carpal tunnel for years before me and refused the op (she eventually had it at the end of last year after I'd been the guinea pig example and she had seen it wasn't so bad!), so I was discussing the implications of leaving it with my surgeon and he said that up to a point it's OK, but there comes a time when the nerve damage that's occurring with the nerves being restricted becomes permanent and irreversible. If you leave the op until that happens then it's likely you'll get some relief, but not a complete cure, depending on how damaged the nerves are. But he did stress that would be over the course of a very long time. Worth checking it out though.
 
I had the op about 10 years ago, one hand at a time. Recovery was pretty quick and have bee completely pain free ever since, although there is a little weakness in my wrists - push ups are hard!

You guys have just reminded me how painful it was! Get the op, don't carry on suffering!
 
moodymare_1993 said:
I have them and I honestly recommend having the op. It's a little recovery time yeah but if your having to let go of reins after 10 mins then isn't it worth it? The op has worked wonders for me. Hope you feel better
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this. The recovery time far outways the problems of the carpal tunnel.
Take the time and don't try and rush to do things too fast or you could impede the healing.
I had only one hand done and tbh was so grateful to stop the interupted nights,no feeling,dropping things etc.
Was back to work in 4 weeks and back riding 8 weeks. You just have to listen to what your hand tells you you can't do- and it wil tell you.
 
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