Could a shot help carpel tunnel and do I have it?


Question:
Okay I know I have carpel tunnel already. My wrist hurt so bad as well as the spot between my thumb and finger and I drop stuff all the time. A doc confirmed my suspisions when I went to get it checked at the ER (one night it hurt so bad I was sure it was broken). All he did though was have me move my thumb to my pinkie finger and then pushed on a spot, and asked "Does this hurt?" He took the tears in the eyes as a definate yes and told me to make a appointment with a orthopedic surgeon of my choice. That was 4 months ago. The pain is a constant. I have a lawn care business and also work in manufacturing. I cant take off a few weeks of work to recover from having surgery on both hands. Could it be something else? Cant doctors put shots into your bones or muscle and relax things. I heard the shot is around 1000 but I have insurance. Could this work to ease the problem till Around december?

Answers:
Ok, you should have an x ray taken, to make sure its not a fracture or dislocation of some sort; also it might be a pinched nerve or stretched muscle in the hand, so a neurologist would be goog to check on that. However if it does end up being the carpo tannal syndrome,A shot might help temporarily to numb the pain of a muscle or nerve thats being triggered by theinflamed bone, that causes carpo tannal syndrome. But it would be only a short term solution that might not work. When i first was diagnosed with carpo tannal, i couldnt hold a pen and write, it was too painful, but it does get better.The problem can be removed by surgery, but you should do it only in extreme cases, most of the time, it can be relieved and you might have only a few flare ups a year. Go to any pharmacy and buy a wrist brace. It will keep your wrist and hand in correct position, so the nerves in your hand are not triggered by the inflamed bone. You can function with your hands pretty well in that brace, and there is less pain because it keeps yur wrist in the correct position, also wear it at night. At the same time you should take an anti-inflamatory like aleve which is made of a generic called naproxene sodium.Once you feel better, you dont have to wear your brace or take the meds. Do it only when and if the carpo tannal flares up again. I hope this helps, thats what i did, and now i get a flare up only a few times a year for a day or two. I put on a brace, take the meds, it gets better, and then back to my normal life.

Other Answers:
Steroid injections can be quite effective for temporary relief from symptoms of CTS for a short time frame while a patient develops a longterm strategy that fits with his/her lifestyle. In certain patients an injection may also be of diagnostic value. This treatment is not appropriate for extended periods, however. In general, medical professionals only prescribe to localized steroid injections until other treatment options can be identified. For most patients, permanent relief requires surgery.


just a note on the surgery -
I had it 1 week ago. I tried the splints and they helped, but in the end, made it more difficult. But I would try them first. I could theoretically go back to work, if I follow the dr. restrictions. (i am no longer working so ..) But he doesn't want me typing or bending my wrist forward at all. He wants me to wear a splint for four weeks more (just say him today). night and day. You would want to keep this in mind as far as recovery if you have surgery now.

About the steroid shot. I had this before hand and it does relieve some of the stress. You DEFINITELY want to have an ortho dr do it though. If a nerve is hit it could lead to permanent damage. It is no rookie job.

Also in order to confirm carpel tunnel you will have to have an electrical study done on your arms. This will measure the amount of damage you have.

One final thing, I wouldn't recommend having two done at the same time. The first 3 days I didn't have full feeling in my fingers and I had a cast on.

let me know if you have any other questions.

Best of luck




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