Anyone here had Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery? If so what was your experience
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I was just diagnosed (officially, with the nerve conduction test and all that) with carpal tunnel syndrome. It's mostly related to work, not climbing, but I'm hoping that those of you who've had the surgery can tell me what your experience was like. |
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I had to have both hands done to avoid permanent nerve damage. I had endoscopic release with out any stitches and lost most of my hand strength, but you can get it back and in some cases even more once things are opened up in there. I expect real recovery time varies depending on age and training habits among other factors. It took me a couple of years to get back to where I was, but I think that my training program was poor for a while. |
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Bump... md3 wrote:This might seem random, but have you had a lot of dental work done in the past 3 years?Yep, seems random. What's the connection?? |
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I had it done ages ago. |
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md3 wrote:I had to have both hands done to avoid permanent nerve damage. I had endoscopic release with out any stitches and lost most of my hand strength, but you can get it back and in some cases even more once things are opened up in there. I expect real recovery time varies depending on age and training habits among other factors. It took me a couple of years to get back to where I was, but I think that my training program was poor for a while. Do you also have Reynaulds? If so, and maybe even if you don't, its worth while to go to a real endocrinologist and have a complete work up of your hormone levels. (Some docs won't know what you are talking about, but there is evidence showing a relationship between autoimmune problems and out of whack hormone levels, especially in men.) I wouldn't rush into the surgery unless you are already suffering from constant numbness in your thumb which is spreading to your forefinger and occasionally all the way to the mid-line on your ring finger. Its a difficult call. Some people are more at risk from suffering serious nerve damage more quickly than others, depending on the overall health of their nervous and circulatory systems. If I had it to do over and I had taken action sooner, I might have tried aggressive hormone treatment before getting the surgery done. I wouldn't be so sure that carpal issues are related to your work. This might seem random, but have you had a lot of dental work done in the past 3 years? Pain that wakes you up at night can be relieved somewhat with wrist braces.md: What was your training regimen like during those two years? How many times per week were you climbing, for example? It'd be useful to get a benchmark. Two years sounds pretty discouraging to me at this point. RE Reynaulds, do you mean this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayna… If so, then no, I don't have it, but...maybe it'd be worthwhile getting some bloodwork done for other stuff anyway. I'm up for anything at this point. I do wear braces at night, and the pain isn't to the point where it's constant numbness. It actually comes and goes, week to week, etc. It's just been a cat and mouse game for over 5 years now, so part of me is just tired of it. Did you try cortisone injections before you got the surgery? RE dental work, no, but I do grind my teeth rather severely in my sleep, which causes me jaw and (sometimes) neck problems. What's the connection w/ dental work? Thanks! |
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Bon Temps wrote:I worked diligently on the self PT but it still took about 2 years to get back up to strength.Thx for the reply BT. I'm curious, once you *were* back up to strength, do you feel like the surgery allowed you to get stronger than before, or have you ever felt like it created a "ceiling" on how far you could progress w/ your climbing? I started a training regimen toward the end of last year that I hope is going to let me break the 5.11 barrier this year, and the 5.12 next year. Ultimately if I have to get surgery then I'll have to live with the setback, but it'd be a bummer if it somehow changed the biomechanics of my hand to the point where I'd never be able to climb 5.12 again, no matter how hard I trained, for example. Might be an unfounded fear, but it's a fear nonetheless... And yeah, I'll probably try cortisone injections first I guess. I'm tired of the cat and mouse over the years with the pain coming and going, but it's possible that's preferable to permanent climbing setbacks... The bummer is that with regard to computer use, the modern surgeries are supposed to be a godsend: super high success rate, satisfied patients, etc. But I also climb... |
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Malcolm M wrote: ...do you feel like the surgery allowed you to get stronger than before, or have you ever felt like it created a "ceiling" on how far you could progress w/ your climbing?Having the surgery got rid of the numbness and pain. When that barrier was removed I was able to move forward, eventually surpassing my pre-op strength. It was a slow lengthy process partially due to the invasive nature of the procedure, but also because I was reluctant to push the workouts in fear of overdoing it and harming my hand again. I'm still fighting those psychological demons and I'm protective of my hands and what I put them through. A positive side effect of being extra cautious is that it steers me towards concentrating on good technique rather than pushing through with brute strength. |
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My brother had the surgery a few years ago, and pre surgery, his max redpoint was 11c, he was out for a while, but came back much stronger, and has done 12c. |
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I had it done, in my right wrist, a few years ago, shortly after my first trip up El Cap. |
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I'm no doctor but my father had problems and was about to have the surgery when a friend of mine (a drummer, very hard on the wrist) told me that instead of surgery he took high doses of b vitamins, it worked for him and my father. I would look into it before going under the knife. |