A discussion blog written by a certified hand therapist for people with repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. Contains solutions for prevention and recovery, such as ergonomics, exercise, therapy with a whole body approach to the problems.
posted by Hand Health Resources @ 10:18 AM
4 Comments
I have been specializing the treatment of upper extremity injuries since 1992. I see all types of injuries in the clinic including traumatic, repetitive, arthritic and neurological. Although I enjoy the clinical work, my focus has naturally and gradually shifted towards preventing injuries through education, community presentations, and consulting.
4 Comments:
Hi - I"m looking for information about the type of hand pain I have. I think it's some sort of RSI but can't find descriptions of it anywhere. I use a regular computer at work (with a mouse) and a laptop with a touchpad at home, plus I do a lot of cross-stitching (needlework). I had carpal tunnel surgery about 10 years ago which "cured" my carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. Last week, I suddenly developed severe pain in the back of my right hand - not the palm, not the base of the thumb - across the back of my hand and across all four knuckles. It doesn't hurt when I'm using the hand or bending my fingers; the pain is as soon as I stop or straighten the hand out. It's almost debilitating it's so bad. It's alleviated a little by ibuprofen. Occasionally the pain radiates up my forearm to my elbow. Do you think I'm correct about the RSI? Do I need to see my physician about this? It's been almost constant since it began, and wakes me up at night it's so bad. Thanks.
Is there any particular spots of tenderness (which may indicate a tendinitis) or is it more of a general, radiating nerve type of pain (which may indicate a nerve compression)? If it is the latter, pain radiating to the back of the hand may be a sign of radial nerve compression over the muscles in the back of the forearm (radial tunnel syndrome). Either way, the sooner the symptoms are treated, the better the chance of recovery, so I would certainly recommend that you see a physician, especially since the pain is severe enough to impact your life (not sleeping well, feeling as if it is debilitating). In the meantime, when you use the keyboard and mouse, make sure that your wrist is in a neutral position and that the fingers are relaxed, not held stiffly over keys or slapping down on the mouse button. Temporarily using a wrist brace can help support the wrist in a neutral position and provide some rest for overused muscles or tendons.
Nowhere is there anything tender to the touch. I've been thinking about the wrist brace like I used when I had carpal tunnel; I will also see the doctor next week about it (going out of town tomorrow). In the meantime I quit using the laptop at home, switched the mouse on the work computer over to the left, and am taking a break from stitching. Thanks so much for answering. I'll let you know what's going on later.
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