CTS or something else?

[cdcoleman]

Hello, let me start off by saying I am only 18, but I know i have something wrong with my wrist. I used to be addicted to a computer game, over 150 days played in game ( it tells you how long you have played), and I believe I am feeling the consequences of it.

When ever I am on the computer and my right wrist is resting against the desk while using the mouse it starts hurt to the point I cant put any pressure on it. It also hurts when I am just holding the mouse with my wrist not resting at all. I cant explain the pain, my wrist feels squeamish to the point I have to stop if that makes sense, I'd describe it more of a weak weird feeling that is really discomforting instead of pain.

When I am drawing or writing, i will start to get a flaring pain starting at my wrist and towards my elbow no more than 4 inches from the wrist. The pain comes from the left side of my wrist on the inside by the veins opposite to the thumb.

My two biggest problems are the pain/discomfort from resting on my wrist, and the flaring pain traveling shortly up and down my wrist, two different types of pain.

Also as a side note my right hand feels bone cold while my left is warm.

Please help, I do not think I have De Quervains Tendinitis since the test does not cause severe pain.

The pain does not travel up into my fingers at all, or up towards my elbow, just in the wrist area.

No numbness, or tingling.

[Johands333]

I think you are in the early stages of cts. Take care of yourself NOW so you won't have to have surgery. By feeling squeamish do you mean very weak feeling? Do you notice this only when you are on the computer? IF you drive, do you also experience it when holding the steering wheel? How about when you carry heavy objects? When you write do you hold the pencil or pen tighter than necessary? (like me). The pain is in the median nerve. First symptom I had was pain on the back of my hand on the thumb-pointer-middle finger side. Then eventually it was halfway between my wrist and elbow, also on the pointer finger side. Then I had pain in the crease of my elbow. All of this is in the median nerve area. The fact that your right hand is cold while your left hand is not means there isn't enough circulation in your right hand. Only an EMG test can prove cts. However, if you take steps now to fix the problem, then maybe you can avoid surgery. Wear wrist splints when you sleep. You'll hate them, but they will help. Don't pick up heavy objects if you can avoid it. Be careful of pinching and grabbing motions. And try not to be on the computer as much. Get up and stretch your hand out from time to time. I suspect bad posture and being overweight are factors for me. I've had surgery on both hands and a second surgery on my right hand last April.

[cdcoleman]

Alright I have an update, the tip of my thumb, pointer finger and middle finger on my right hand are completely numb.

Since the numbness I have not experienced any shooting/flaring pain up and down the wrist. But when I am writing my wrist TENSES up where I feel like im using a ton of pressure to write.

Do I now have a pinched nerve, and the tension is the pain the nerve would be giving off?

[Johands333]

Since you have numbness, you have cts. Everyone experiences this differently. Only an EMG test can tell you how bad you have it. What they do is have a machine with wires on it and sticky tabs at the end of the wires. They put them on different parts of your arm. Then they send very small electrical charges out on them. Sounds painful but it's not. It's weird seeing your fingers fly up in the air without you trying to do it on your own. Then they take some accupuncture type needles and gently put them in areas of your arm. When they did the back of my hand I felt -- nothing. When they did the back of my arm, I felt a little pain. The whole procedure takes about 15 min.