What is Carpal Tunnell??

[Natassia]

I keep seeing it on people's names and someone mentioned it in a post, I know its something to do with your hands but what is it exactly?
For the past month I've had these strange hard swellings on my fingers, not every one but they seem to be on top or at the side of the joints and they hurt quite a lot, I put it down to mucking out on the cold mornings, is it Carpal Tunnell???

 

[rosie_equine]

Many people with carpal tunnel syndrome have gradually increasing symptoms over time. The first symptoms of CTS may appear when sleeping, and typically include numbness and paresthesia (a burning and tingling sensation) in the fingers, especially the thumb, index, and middle fingers.[3] These symptoms appear at night because many people sleep with bent wrists which further compresses the carpal tunnel. If the median nerve is already under stress, the increased compression of the bent wrist creates the numbness and tingling. Difficulty gripping and making a fist, dropping objects, and weakness are symptoms of progression. In early stages of CTS individuals often mistakenly blame the tingling and numbness on restricted blood circulation and they believe their hands are simply "falling asleep". In chronic cases, there may be wasting of the thenar muscles (the body of muscles which are connected to the thumb).

The swellings maybe the start of arthiritus as i no somebody that has the samr hard nodules that sweel of her toes!!!!

 

[Janette]

From what I can remember, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is increased pressure in the part of your wrist where the nerves to your hand pass through a narrow part in the bones of your wrist.
The increased pressure causes pain and decreased sensation/movement in the hand.

Over the years, I've had my wedding ring sized up from a 'p' to an 'r' - to get over the biggest joint in that finger.

The hard swellings you mention could be rheumatoid nodules forming around the joints. I have those and have only just got my weding ring back on. The joints in my left fingers swelled and stiffened. Now I have a few more bony lumps on the joint in my hands. I find that mucking out, and riding on a cold day can start the whole thing off.

 

[merlins-mum]

I've had the op for CTS - I no longer get the pain and pins & needles, but the hand will always be weaker due to nerve damage. Oddly enough it wasn't 25 years of typing that did for me, but intensive riding with a horse that refused to carry his own head.

 

[djmissj]

I didnt want to go through with the op but stopping working with horses helped....it was the continuous gripping of broom handles,quad bike handles. strapping and grooming for 7 years that did it to mine!!! My wrists are so much weaker now and i find the strength in my hands is not what it used to be!!!

Its basically the swelling of the muscles in the wrist trapping the median nerve which causes severe pain in the hands at night and generally all the time in bad cases, cortizone can be injected into the wrist for temporary relief but mine came back and i was having injections every few months!!!

 

[Natassia]

My wrists are fine and there is no numbness or tingling so I don't think I've got carpal tunnel, however the pain is worst when I bend my fingers, the joints hurt and it feels like the skins stretching. I always use hand cream and wear rubber gloves for mucking out and the crochet mountain horse gloves for riding and grooming when its cold.
I'm only 20 so don't think it could be arthritis, theres no family history of people getting it so early but my grandmas got it in her hands and wrists quite badly, I'm worried now, should I go to the doctor??? Or could it be repetitive strain injury for mucking out, grooming, riding etc every day?

 

[dozzie]

I have carpal tunnel in my right hand. Every morning my little finger and ring finger are numb and I have to put my arm over the edge of the bed and wriggle my fingers until it goes away!!! I had my left hand operated on as the CT was actuallly very painful. It made my whole lower arm hurt. I will probably have to have my right one done too at some point. Just delaying it for as long as possible as I am right handed! I have no obvious swelling or lumps etc. You dont sound like you have CT. I would get yours checked out.

 

[Reashi]

[ QUOTE ]
I keep seeing it on people's names and someone mentioned it in a post, I know its something to do with your hands but what is it exactly?
For the past month I've had these strange hard swellings on my fingers, not every one but they seem to be on top or at the side of the joints and they hurt quite a lot, I put it down to mucking out on the cold mornings, is it Carpal Tunnell???

[/ QUOTE ]

I have exactly what you have. Went to the doctors and apparently its chillblaines (sp?!) and is especially common in horse riders whos hands get cold and wet often. They gave me two hand creams, one moderately greasy one to put on as much as I can during the day, and one REALLY greasy one to put on before I go to bed.

 

[mickey17]

Are you sure the hard lumps on your fingers arent just callouses?? hrd skin bulid up on pressure points ( eg where your fork rubs your hands or the reins etc)?

 

[Donkeymad]

I would be pretty certain you don't have CT. Apart from being painful, do the lumps itch? If so, they may be, as suggested above, chilblains, and will go away in warmer weather.

 

[Natassia]

I thought they were chillblains but then I didn't think you could get them on your hands! thanks for replying, and I feel for you if you do have CT, it sounds like a really irritating thing to suffer from.

 

[BarmyC]

I have had both my hands operated on for carpal Tunnel syndrome.

I had it really badly in both hands and apparently it is very unusual for someone my age to have it this bad this young (25)

Pleased to say that the ops worked and i have now been symptom free for 5 months