Hand Injuries

[Jeanne]

Have any of you here ever had a hand injury? I thought perhaps this could be Tendonitis or Carpel Tunnel but I'm not getting all the classic symptoms of these. I know I have to go see the doc but I thought I'd take a survey first.

I cannot bend my hand all the back or forward without feeling pain on the top of my hand where the joints connect at the top of the wrist. The wrist bone on the side isn't tender either.

Anyone go through this?

[turtledove]

I have been diagnosed with tendonitis in my right wrist and what you are describing sounds exacly like the pain I get. The first time I experienced it, I thought I must have sprained my wrist. I could move it left and right, but not up and down. If I held it still, it didn't hurt. I would probably go to a doctor though just to be sure. What the doctor had me do is wear one of those wrist braces that don't allow you to bend your wrist (maybe called a "cock up" splint??) 24 hours a day for about a week. Also had me take an anti-inflamatory OTC pain med. It really helped. I will pull out the splint and wear it at night sometimes if I feel my wrist starting to hurt. The Dr also gave me some exercises to strenghten it, which I have to confess to not doing.

Good luck, and I hope the pain gets better soon.

[Rachels]

I had something like that. It made knitting excruciating. :( What worked for me was to buy one of those rigid braces at the drugstore and to wear it solidly for about a week. Immobilizing the joint completely gave it time to heal.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
New baby coming in October!
(Holy smokes, it's a boy!!!)


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
Nursed for three years!

[cmdunn1972]

I was diagnosed with DeQuarvains (sp?) tendonitis, also known as "Mommy thumb and wrist". It feels more or less like a sprain in the wrist, though it wasn't injured per se. Basically, the wrist tendons feel tight and painful on the thumb side, and I have a difficult time with mobility and popping when I move my thumb and wrist sometimes. I figured it was from lifting DS by hooking my hands under his underarms. I went to the doctor, then to the OT. They gave me exercises (strengthening and stretching) to do, and I try not to lift him like that anymore (though it's really hard to stop).

I'd see your doctor. Upon examining it, he should give you an actual diagnosis and set you up with a treatment plan.

[Marisa6826]

I have, in fact, had Carpal Tunnel, DeQuervain's Syndrome, Trigger Fingers, Ganglion Cysts and a torn ligament. Most not all at once, but, yes in both hands (with the exception of the cysts).

Sounds like it could be occult cysts. They are filled with a really thick viscous fluid, but only show on a MRI. A repetitive stress injury like tendonitis or CTS is another possibility. The gold standard test for CTS is to put the front of your hands (not your palms) together so that they face eachother pointing down - kind of like an inverted version of what your hands like if you're praying. If you start getting pins and needles within a minute, it's CTS.

I would ABSOLUTELY go to a HAND doctor and not a regular orthopod. Trust me on this. You will be xrayed to ensure that it's not arthritis, and will likely be given a splint and anti-inflammatories. They might try doing a cortisone shot if the splint doesn't work.

Have you tried just picking up a splint from Target, etc. to see if resting helps?

Also, is your thumb involved?

Let me know if I can answer any more questions.

HTH

-m

[Jeanne]

Thanks Ladies.
I have had my write x-rayed to make sure there wasn't a fracture and there was not. I just never pursued it any further.

My thumb in not involved but it feels like the bones in the top of my hand are. The pain is in the top of my hand where those bones meet the wrist. Now I'm thinking it could be CTS. But can this actually cause 50% less flexibility? I let it go because I've never had classic symptoms- just have two episodes where it was really bad.

To give you an idea, I picked up my purse and went to turn my wrist to slide it onto my forearm but could not twist my hand in that way. We all do it without even thinking about it. I guess it's time to see the hand doc now.

Thanks Again!

[brittone2]

Yep, DeQuervain's is very common in new mamas. I had it myself when DS was first born.

WIth carpal tunnel you'll often have numbness/tingling at times and it may "fall asleep" at night.

You could see your PCP and ask for a referral to see a physical therapist if it continues to bother you. They'll be able to determine whether it is carpal tunnel or tendonitis. IMHO primary care docs aren't always great at the differential diagnosis between the two sometimes.

A brace could help with either. A PT could show you appropriate stretches and exercises to prevent either problem in the future.