Clerklady

Maria,

I have just been diagnosed with Carpal tunnel and have been doing PT for three weeks.
Here is what the PT did to me to find out if I did indeed have it. I also have major tendonitus in my elbows which he says in unrelated.

1. Pull your hand back by your fingers and tap on the bottom side of your wrist, if it hurts that is one sign.
2. Put the back of you hands together and bend at your wrist with your fingers down and hold them there, if your fingers tingle or become numb after 30 sec to 1 mintue that is a sign.
3. Take your first two fingers and put them back as if you are going to touch the top of your hand, if it hurts up to your elbow it is a sign.

My hands hurt and the palms of my hand aches major bad when I type my fingers become numbs and the tops of my hands hurt like crazy. My is the nerve that effects my first two fingers and my thumbs, other nerves are being pinched in my elbows and they can be release with surgery I guess, we will see. I have been referred to othropedic surgen because of my elbows not improving. The Pt says that if caught early it can be some time corrected with PT and hand braces at night. Mine was caught as borderline on an emg in 05 and so with other problems it went by the way side until now, which is to long to wait. Hope this helps, a referral to a PT is pretty cheap for my insurance so that is the way I went, if not have your GP refer you if he can't figure it out. Do not wait very long to see for sure or you will indeed have to have surgery which is what I want to avoid. let me know if you can not understand any of this. Denise