Carpel Tunnel

Definitely got it. Classic symptoms. Pass all the tests. Yippee!

I've probably had it for a few years and just never realized it (my fingers would go numb mountain biking, sleeping, on the phone etc.), but a recent climb pushed it over the edge... and now it is on my "damn-my-fricken-fingers-are-numb-and-I-have-CT-syndrome" radar.

Ignorance is bliss sometimes.

The annoyance factor is 3/10 right now... so not too terrible. I'm kind of hoping it'll go into remission for a while since obviously I was putting up with it for a long while without realizing it.

I can deal with numb fingers (sort of), I just don't want to cause any long term damage.

What says the peanut gallery? Your experiences?

I've had this too, though I got it before I started climbing and it tapered off as I spent more time climbing and less time jer...I mean playing guitar. When I was initially getting over it I had to be pretty careful of the way I pulled on holds; that is keeping my wrist straight. I still sleep with wrist braces and sometimes type with them. I'd definitely recommend that, as I've found that I (and many people) tend to sleep with curled wrists that exacerbate the problem. Reverse wrist curls help too once the inflammation is gone.

I had CTS.
I dealt with it for about 10 years, then it finally got really bad and I had the release done.
The "surgery" is the best thing I've ever done, medically.
It's extremely non invasive and NBD. I was climbing easy stuff shortly after and harder stuff within a month. I had both wrists done about a week and a half apart.
I wanted longer than i should have usually classic excuses like "I want to avoid surgery", The truth is i should have done it much sooner. Plus knowing what I know now it really is NBD.
I know of at least 2 other climbers with the same experience.

josh

hi andy & et.,al with similar symptoms.. here shared

while never officially diagnosed (refusing 2be categorized) -I ignored the occasional nighttime numbness and wasn't motivated to fix 'til it occurred also during the day

I had a deep-tissue masseuse work with me for 'bout a yr, digging deep into my forearm tendons to relieve what appeared to be a chronic built up of lactic acid from yrs of hanging on tiny-crystal-slabs. Logically it felt like the bloodflow was just not getting through. The work was x-tremely painful & felt like sharp blades cutting through my arms. Alternate hot & cold-ice packs were also applied which increased circulation in the area (good also after a hard day climbing)

The numbness is now all but gone and I am slowly (and carefully) easing back into things as I would rather not have it return. I also know where my forearm trigger points are and can do some stress release myself and still work w/a masseuse occasionally. I try to climb with my entire body (not just fingers) picking climbs accordingly i.e. crystally slabs vs. upperbody jugfests to avoid additionally stressing the forearm tendons

best of luck & success on turning things around. I think it's totally possible to get better if you do things differently from what caused it to occur in the 1st place. Heal the damage already occurred before it gets chronic and becomes irreversible

.02

disclaimer: this is not in any way, official AMA medical advice and should not be taken as such. Speak to your health care professional to rule out any possible physical disease or genetic disorders

Andy, I had this pretty bad about 5 years ago. Took some nonsteroidals for a couple weeks (did nothing as far as I could tell) but the best thing I did was to go to Walgreens a buy a neutral-position wrist splint. Wore that to bed for a couple months and it's been gone ever since. Mine seemed to be much worse when I would wake up in the morning or in the middle of the night, so it made sense to just wear the brace to bed for me. I assume you're on the computer a lot too, if you don't have one of those gel deals to keep your wrist neutral when typing you should get one.

ive had CTS for a few years, but last month it became almost debilitating for me.

a little background, i am in music school for bass, and i am playing professionally at this point, and in the month of october, i was practicing 4-6 hours a day and had over 20 gigs, and i was climbing 2-4 times a week. i have had symptoms of CTS for only 2 years, but in the middle of october, i woke up in the middle of the night and it felt like someone was stabbing my hands with a knife. it was bad. i could barely play, and i had to completely forget about climbing because my hands were numb and i could barely move them.

as for treatment, i stopped climbing immediately and cut down on my practicing. if you have done any research on carpal tunnel, you probably have figured this out, but carpal tunnel is not just in the wrist. tennis (climbers) elbow as well as other conditions and anything inflammation in the shoulder can contribute. all the nerves that go to your hand run from the base of your neck down your arm and to your fingers. anything inflammation along your arm can cause the classic symptoms of carpal tunnel. of course any scalpal jockey will tell you that you need the carpal tunnel release surgery, but it does not work all the time because carpal tunnel, as stated above, is not just in the wrist. plus it sidelines you for 1-2 months minimum. i second what kirra said about getting some theraputic massage. i would also add some chiropractic work on top of that, as any misalignment of the joints in your arm can contribute to the median nerve compression (which is where numbness comes from). also, start taking glucosamie and chondroitin if you arent already. the theraputic dose is 1500 mg, so those little emergen-c packets dont work, unless you drink 3 a day. stretching is working wonders for me as well. i have a routine i do when i wake up and before i go to bed. if you want any more details on these stretches, send me pm. a lot of carpal tunnel recovery is homecare, so find out what you need to do!

my treatment has helped me immensely in the 3 weeks since i suffered the worst symptoms i have felt, and now i have almost full motion back in my hands and the numbness is subsiding.

as for prevention, as some of you have asked, start taking glucosamine now, it usually takes a month to fully set in. and start stretching. its hard to prevent carpal tunnel as it is caused by repetitive motion and none of us want to give up climbing or whatever we do to cause it, but keeping your arms loose and lubricated (with the glucosamine) will decrease your risk.

p.s. i am no doctor, but i did research this extensively and this is what i was told by my doc. there is tons of info out there and the interwebs is your friend. as always, if you cant seem to get better seek medical attention as it could be a more serious condition.

Great info everyone.... very much appreciated! It is nice to know it can come and go (sometimes for a while). Gives me hope!