Weight lifting exercise & Carpal Tunnel. Bad?

Johands333

Potentiaaly the weight lifting led to cts. The amount of space you inherit in your wrists also is a factor. I know you're a guy, but would you say your hands and wrists are similar to your mom's, but in a masculine way? What I've learned recently with my second surgery on my right hand is watching how much I grab or pinch. My doctor confirmed this when I saw him during my post-op exam. I could go right back to cts if I am not careful. Should you stop weight lifting? Only you can decide that. Are you doing it for fun? If so try something different. There are all kinds of equipment out there to build muscles without being heavy. Just be careful to chose something that won't cause cts

ABC1111

Thank you very much for your reply. I guess I should stop exercising or at least do safer exercises & focus more on the legs.

My wrists are different from my mother. Her hands are puffy and with thick fingers. My wrists-fingers are different from her - longer & thinner.

I am not sure exactly what you mean by "watching how much I grab or pinch." generally I have a very strong grip. Is that bad? Is that what you mean?


Thank you very much for your reply.

Johands333

ABC, I'm currently healing from a second cts operation. I read up about how the act of grabbing or pinching things can cause my hands to have cts again. When I saw my doctor 2 weeks after the surgery, he agreed that grabbing motions or pinching motions can hurt my healing. So I'm thinking that if you have to pick something up, try not to grab it hard. Maybe holding things differently than you normally would can reduce your chances of needing surgery. My physical therapist told me after my first surgery not to grab plastic grocery bags and hold them by the handles, rather to put the loops in the crook of my elbow, like I would a purse. This may seem funny to you, but I've had cts for 10 years and with 2 surgeries on the same hand, I'll do anything to avoid getting cts again.

tj707

I read Light at the End of the Carpal Tunnel, and the Carpal Tunnel Helpbook by Scott Fried D.O., and they were great help. I think there's also a book called the Inflammation Syndrome, which tells about all the ways to treat chronic pain and inflammation. I had wrist problems, had surgery, physical therapy, and went the whole nine yards. After surgery, someone told me about pineapple enzymes, and how it helps clear up scar tissue possibly left over from the surgery. I was still having pain, after surgery, and I didn't know if it was from the injury, the surgery or both. I tried the pineapple enzymes, and it worked wonders, but I still can't do repetitious activities with my upper extremities, carry heavy objects, or even think about weight lifting. I heard that once you injure your wrists, they are never the same, and we have to be careful for the rest of our lives not to cause further injury.