Getting Treatment for Carpal Tunnel?

DeathGripOnMouse asks: "Let me set to stage. I am a 30 something network analyst. I have been electronics / computer industry for the better part of twenty years, most of that time spent behind a keyboard. Like my peers, I am concerned about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other injuries that seem to afflict IT professionals. Recently, I began to notice some tenderness in my mouse hand. Deciding that it was time to see a doctor, I asked around the office for a good doctor, as my primary doctor no longer accepts my insurance. At the recommendation of several of my co-workers I called the office of a doctor the next town over. I explained my problem and was told that because this "could" be a work related injury, I was not able to see the doctor until I completed the following. First, I needed permission from my supervisor to seek treatment for my problem, in writing no less! Second, I was told that my medical insurance may not cover the doctor's expenses and I needed permission from my employers HR department to start a workman's compensation claim. All this without even seeing me! I do not want to file a claim due to the stigma that it carries, and I feel that it may hinder my chances at landing another job. I haven't approached my HR department, but what if they refuse to allow me to file a claim? This whole situation just angers me to no end. Anyway, has anyone sought treatment for CTS or some other repeated stress injury? If so, what were your experiences?"

Comments

Just a few words

[spineboy]

Well, I am an orthopaedic surgeon, and it sounds like you're having insurance problems, as well as some other issues. First of all do you have an HMO? - If you do get rid of it and get a PPO - costs more, but any doctor will take it. Second of all if you're just having some tenderness in your mouse hand, it may just be tendonitis - an overuse injury which is best treated by rest, NSAIDS(ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) and improving your ergonomics.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is usually characterized by numbness/pain of the thumb, index, middle and the thumb-half of your ring finger. People often report waking up inthe night to "shake out" their sleepy hand, they also may report pain radiating from their hand to their elbow/shoulder. Risk factors include; being a diabetic, pregnant and thyroid problems. Computer keyboarding has NOT, I repeat, NOT been shown or linked to cause CTS. I know that this goes against what most of you have heard, but there are million of people using keyboards, and there are certainly not anywhere near that many people with CTS.

You need to see a hand surgeon - preferably an orthopaedic trained one. Just a small warning - workers compensation patients have an interesting stigma - they typically do worse than non-workers comp patients in all aspects of medicine, for many diferent reasons, i.e. secondary gain, etc.

So go see a hand surgeon in person who knows the facts and don't listen too much to your co-workers (they didn't go to bus driving school - so they don't get to drive the bus). If your hand surgeon does indicate surgery for you, he really should send you for an electromyelogram (EMG) to first to rule out any other causes for your hand problems. EMG's check the nerves in your hand and make sure that the problem is in your wrist, and not in your elbow/shoulder or neck. EMGs hurt like hell (you get shocked with needles in various places), but it's definetely worth it.

Re:Just a few words

[austad]

EMGs hurt like hell

My doctor scheduled me for an EMG because I had numbness in my arm. I didn't really know what it was. So you can imagine the horror on my face when the nurse is pulling out these 4 inch long needles. I asked her, "what the hell are those for?" And she's like "Oh. The doctor didn't explain? You aren't going to like this."

So the first part of the test, they put electrodes up by my elbow, and then stuck these little thumb tack size needles with wires into that tendon that you can see if you put your palm face down and lift your thumb. They then proceeded to send jolts of electricity directly through the nerves. Then they flipped my arm over and stuck the needles into my wrist and did it some more. Needless to say, it was not fun, but it was the best part.

The second part of the exam involved taking these 4 inch long needles, and sticking them all the way into my bicep, tricep, and the top and bottom of my forearm. They did them one at a time, and once it was all the way in, they had me flex and measured the electrical activity. The tricep and bicep did not hurt that badly, but the pain in the forearm was almost unbearable, the needle hurt going in, sitting there, and being pulled back out. Remember, no local anethetic.

In any case, they were checking for muscle and nerve damage, and there was none. Turns out I had pinched nerves in my neck that were causing it. But that visit to the doc definitely sucked.