Having problems with message search?
Hi,
This ended up being a very long posting, but the information can change how you are treating your painful CTS, and I believe the knowledge is worth the effort of reading it.
I am a deep muscle therapist specializing in chronic joint pain. For 14 years I've been working with people who have every type of joint pain, and the referred pain from nerve impingement, such as sciatica, back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. I posted yesterday that I suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome that was so severe, like Dee I was unable to hold my infant granddaughter (I almost dropped her when my arm fell to my side, numb, while I was holding her!), open a door or pick up a glass. I was forced out of my practice.
As I mentioned in my other post, I went the chiropractor, acupuncture, massage route, all with some relief, but not permanent. I refused to do surgery, I know way to much about the negative outcomes. I had previously worked with a man who had his nerve accidently cut during the surgery, causing him to lose the sensation to his hand and the ability to use his thumb and two fingers. Fortunately, this is rare, but still a possibility. The most common problem is the scar tissue that forms after surgery, entrapping the median nerve in its tight fibers and only another surgery will release the scar tissue.
The reason you feel pain is simple. Think of this analogy, if you pull your hair at the end it hurts at your scalp. If you continue pulling it for a very long time you will get a major headache, but you don't need to cut open your scalp, or take drugs to ease the pain, you just need to release the tension by letting go of your hair. This is EXACTLY what is happening in your wrist/hand.
The muscles of your forearm, the extensors (top of the arm) and flexors (underside of the arm) both insert at the wrist and fingers. If you tightly grip your forearm with your opposite hand, and then wiggle your fingers, you will feel the muscles contracting. You use these muscles every single time you move your fingers or bend your wrist. Think of the millions of times you do that every day. There is a phenomenon called "muscle memory" that causes a muscle to readjust its size to the necessary use, and then hold it at that length. This means, if you contract a muscle repeatedly, it will shorten to that length and stay there. Therein lies the problem.
The muscles of your forearm are shortened, but the distance is still the same. Think of the hair-pulling analogy. The muscle is pulling on the insertion at the wrist and hand, and you have pain! The ONLY thing that will stop the pain is to stretch the muscles frequently, until muscle memory brings them back to their correct length.
As for the weakness, this is caused by the message that is being sent by the median nerve to the various muscles. If you go to http://www.aboutcts.com/anatomy_lessons.html you will see charts that were drawn using the information from a major medical research project by Drs. Travell and Simon, that was done in the early 1960's. These charts show that a spasm (the "x") causes pain and numbness in areas far from the spasm (look at the same colored shaded areas. The Dark shading is the primary pain area, and light shading is secondary). The medical term for this referred pain is "The Gate Theory". The Gate Theory explains why a person can have a limb amputated, and still feel the pain in the missing limb. You feel the numbness/pain at the endpoint of the nerve, or in the case of the amputation, your mind reads where the endpoint was...even if it isn't there any longer.
As you move down through the above link, you will see the graphic for the median nerve, which starts in your neck and ends in your hand. ANY muscle that is pressing into the median nerve along its path can cause you to have numbness in your hand. As the median nerve is being impinged in the neck by the scalene muscles, or the pectoralis minor in the chest, the message that is being sent to the forearm muscles has "static" (just like a radio that is not properly set on a station). The muscle responds to this incomplete nerve impulse by weakening. However, the first step is to release the pressure on the nerve, return the message to a clear signal, and then you will be able to quickly strengthen the muscle.
This information is so important that a major medical university is certifying me, and my partner who is an MD, to teach it to physicians. While Drs. Travell and Simon have proven this without any possibility of doubt in the medical mind, for some reason it isn't taught at most medical schools. The (unnamed until it is approved) medical university realizes that this oversight must by corrected. Hundreds of thousands of people are in chronic pain because only massage therapists are looking at muscles as the source of pain. Not just for CTS, but for pain throughout the body.
Because of my own severe case of CTS, I ultimately came to realize that while going to a massage therapist is wonderful, she could only work on me for one hour a week (which can get quite costly) but the other 6 days and 23 hours I was shortening the muscles. When I started to work on myself, the pain ended in just a few days - and if it starts to come back I just do the treatments to myself and it immediately stops. I started to teach these techniques to my clients,and it worked perfectly, even for people who had CTS symptoms for many years!
There is a research facility that is setting up to do a two-year study to prove that muscles cause CTS and that self-treatment works. We have requested funding from the National Institute of Health and are waiting for their response. I'll keep you informed, through this forum, when the research begins.
Meanwhile, be comforted with the knowledge that muscles are the cause of your pain and that they can be 100% healed. Drugs only mask the problem, and surgery isn't the answer. Treating the muscles is the answer. I came back from this painful condition, and you can also.
Wishing you well,
Julie
Release "aches & pains" in your muscles and joints. You are your own best therapist!
Visit www.julstro.com and find common sense answers.
-----Original Message-----Bless massages for they are good. *big smile*
From: Dee/Crystalheart [mailto:lunastar@...]
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 5:39 AM
To: repetitivestrain@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [repetitivestrain] my CTS - chiropractor, acupuncture?
My husband is really good at them. He starts with my hands and then goes up
my arms to my shoulders and neck. I made an anti-inflammatory lotion with
essential oils, and I use that every day.
Boy.....the more I hear negativity about this surgery....the more I really
do not want to go thru that.
Is there anyone out there who has had success with it??
The Neurologist explained to me on Monday that the surgery only releases the
numbness and tingling, but will not take away the pain.
Now is that the issue - that people still have pain, and/or were expecting
the pain to be gone after the nerve surgery? He explained to me that the
pain is in the weakened muscles and tendons, so what we need to do is
strengthen them again.
My arms have become weak also. I have a hard time holding my 16 month old
daughter. I have to wrap my upper arms around her so I won't drop her.
And forget taking anything out of the cupboards or the fridge - I drop
everything. I can't use the can opener any more either.
Luckily my husband can fend for himself, and us in the kitchen....but geez!
It is SO frustrating. I'm not the type to sit around, I have to be
busy.....even while I watch television, which I rarely do, I have to have
some knitting or lap weaving going on, or I get bored silly!
Are there any other crafters or artists on this list, and how do you deal
with this CTS ?
Blessings of Peace, Love & Happiness,
Dee/Luna CrystalHeart )O(
Tribal Soul Kitchen-*-Ezine http://www.tribalsoulkitchen.com
Modern man thinks he loses something--time--when he does not do things
quickly. Yet he does not know what to do with the time he gains--except kill
it. - Erich Fromm
----- Original Message -----
From: "Janet Miller" <mrsm352@...>
To: <repetitivestrain@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2003 12:51 PM
Subject: Re: [repetitivestrain] my CTS - chiropractor, acupuncture?
> Matt, my chiro was able to relieve symptoms in the beginning, but as you
> say, the tingling and numbness just got worse. I refuse to have any
> surgery.
>
> I have been seeing a massage therapist weekly since mid-November, and I
> can't tell you how much relief she has given me. If I could afford
> acupuncture, I would do that too, but finances are not that good right
now.
> I would say that it can't hurt, so give it a try, or try massage. She
works
> me from my head down to my chest muscles, my back, and my arms, hands and
> fingers. I love massage day!
>
> Janet
>
>
> on 3/20/03 9:50 AM, matt_anger at glendalough@... wrote:
>
> > I recently went to my chiro. and he was able to alleviate some
> > symptoms, mainly tingling. But my right hand remains sore and weak.
> > What about acupuncture? Can that help? Will it actually treat the
> > problem or just symptoms? Based on this list I'm staying away from
> > the release surgery as long as I reasonably can.
> >
> > Thank you
> >
> > Matt
> >
> >
> >
> > This list sponsored by:
> > http://www.voicerecognition.com/
> > Voice Recognition ... an alternative to typing ...
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >
>
>
>
> This list sponsored by:
> http://www.voicerecognition.com/
> Voice Recognition ... an alternative to typing ...
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
This list sponsored by:
http://www.voicerecognition.com/
Voice Recognition ... an alternative to typing ...
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
Offline 
Send Email