I went out to Office Depot and purchased a keyboard, ergonomic mouse, and gel wrist rest, but none of that seemed to do any good. I even figured out how to use the mouse with my foot (LOL), but that didn’t seem to work, either.
At that point, I was pretty discouraged. I’m in my early 20s, and I’m already having to deal with this? I thought. That’s just not right.
After doing some research, I determined that I needed a new desk. My old one was about 50 years old and had been handed down to us by my in-laws. Not only was it not the correct height, but it did not have enough room underneath for a proper office chair.
So I did more research and ended up purchasing a sit-to-stand desk, which has a hand crank that allows me to adjust the height. It cost $300, but it’s built like a tank.
When I’m not standing, I sit on an exercise ball. I take frequent breaks to stretch my arms, wrists, and back and am also very mindful of my posture throughout the day.
I sleep with wrist braces, which I purchased for $16 each at Walmart, so my arms don’t curl up. I’ve also become a pro at voice texting and swipe texting on my iPhone. Oh, and I’ve been taking 450 mg of turmeric to heal any inflammation.
That sounds quite complicated, doesn’t it? It’s only been a week since I started the full regimen, but it seems to be helping. Have any of you struggled with carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis? If you have any suggestions to share, I would be very grateful!
Have you talked to a doctor?
Maybe they can clear the situation up for you…
I haven't yet, but I probably will if it doesn't go away soon. I have talked to a few people who have had similar issues and have seen doctors, but that's as close as I've gotten.
Blessings,
Ellie
I have been having issues since I was 16 (currently 28). It will always be around. I gave up sleeping with a brace awhile ago (it didn't help me), and in the summer it gets really annoying. I ended up having hand surgery for my dominate hand and my other I am waiting to see it gets worse.
I do recommend strength balls and ice wraps/heat wraps to build the muscle around your weakened areas. Also, do not take too many anti-inflammatories (Advil/Aleve's) – I was always and ended up giving myself stomach issues. Be careful there.
I would recommend seeing a doctor cause it truly gets worse and therapy may prevent any surgery. I specifically was diagnosed with tendonitis at first.
I am not an expert (that's why we have doctors:), but I know people who did have the carpal tunnel surgery and apparently it's something very easy, they do it every day and it has a quick recovery.
Obviously I imagine that each situation might be different, but seeing a doctor can really be the first step to make what seems such an ordeal a very easy to solve situation.
I had the surgery myself on both wrists. Mine had gotten so bad in my right hand that I only needed one pain pill after the surgery. For me, the best thing I ever did was have surgery. The surgery was out-patient, and I was awake the whole time. I agree that seeing a doctor would be best to see what they recommend for you.
Thank you for all the input! To those who had surgery, do you remember the approximate cost?
Ellie
I don't know, I'm not a Us citizen so I'm not sure about your system. I was just offering the general information I had but I don't know any details!
My surgery was fully coverage by insurance. If you go to the specialist – their billing department will run the surgery codes to see the cost – it might be just the deductible.
it was the best decision I ever made to fix it.
I don't remember the cost for my surgery because it was over 10 years ago. However, for me it was money well spent:)
Thanks for the info! I appreciate all your testimonials. It sounds like surgery is definitely worth it if it comes to that.
Ellie
Hello, Ellie! This is my first time commenting on your beautiful blog. I am an occupational therapist, and quite familiar with both conditions (I actually suffered terribly from tennis elbow during college, and my husband has very bad tendonitis, poor man… We're only 25 and 29). I'm so sorry to hear that you are in pain!! I am really glad to hear, however, that you are using splints as well as taking other measures to help you. If you are open to trying out a few more things, I would definitely suggest asking Mr. Handsome (I love that you refer to him as that on here, by the way) to massage your hands, arms, and even elbows, maybe two to three times each week. You can also try some finger/hand/wrist strengthening exercises; those should help in the long run, although don't be surprised by a little pain initially. God bless you and your husband, and I hope you feel better soon! ~Regina
I too am an occupational therapist. Just wanted to add that when doing the massage, make sure to massage in an upward direction; not down towards the fingertips (this will help with inflammation).
Thanks for pointing that out, Kell! Yes, the retrograde massage is key. So glad you mentioned that!! ~Regina
Thank you so much, Regina and Kell! That advice is really helpful. I had my husband massage my arms and wrists yesterday, exactly as you explained. Have either of you heard of something called wrist tractioning? I heard about it on a YouTube video. Apparently one way to do it is to stand up and hold weights with your fingertips.
Ellie
You are such a sweetheart, Ellie. My husband and I are praying for your swift healing! Wrist tractioning was something I used to sometimes recommend to my patients when I worked at an outpatient facility where we mainly focused on upper extremities. I didn't always like recommending it, though I am not sure why! Maybe I just saw other forms of treatment as being more beneficial… Anyway, I would certainly suggest getting a referral from your doctor to see a hand/wrist specialist. They would definitely be able to help you and offer exercises applicable to your own particular condition, as well as discuss if surgery is necessary. I actually haven't been actively working as an OT for the past 2 years… (I stopped shortly before my oldest son was born, and now I am a stay-at-home mom of my two sweet little boys, loving every minute of it! My oldest is 2, and my youngest is two months; needless to say, I am being kept on my toes!) As I have been out of the loop for a little while, maybe Kell has some more suggestions as to what at-home treatment methods might be good for you? They would be worth trying at least! You will be in my continued prayers! God bless you and keep you always. ~Regina
Thank you, Regina. Blessings on your 2 little boys! Ellie, pediatrics is my area if expertise; unfortunately I am not familiar with wrist tractioning. I watched the you tube video- not sure how I feel about it. I have to agree with Regina and would suggest that if you continue to experience carpal tunnel issues, that you might want to see a specialist. Aside from the retrograde massage, you could cut a sponge into square shaped pieces, put them into a bowl with luke warm water, put your hand in the bowl and squeeze the sponge for a count of 30 (3 sets of 10 reps).
Thank you, Kell! And I love your advice. What an awesome suggestion with the warm water and sponges. Also, I was wondering, would you recommend heat instead of ice? Seeing that carpal tunnel is a pinched nerve problem as opposed to an inflammatory problem, I was thinking it might be best for you, Ellie, to try wrapping your hands, wrists, and lower arms in warm compresses. Would you agree, Kell? Heat might be contraindicated for some inflammation issues, but until there is a definite diagnosis (because maybe this isn't carpal tunnel and is actually tendonitis or a different condition), would you suggest that Ellie try some warm packs on the areas I mentioned, especially before stretches and exercises? Thanks for your input! ~Regina
Could be worth a try.
Thank you so much for all the advice, Regina and Kell! You ladies are awesome. I do have a heat pad, so I'm going to try doing that a little bit. And I like the sponge idea. Thank you again! And thank you for the prayers. 🙂
Ellie
Dear Ellie,
I'm so sorry you've been having wrist problems. I've never had carpel tunnel myself, but I know a girl that had it because she played the piano so much. She wore a wrist brace, but I'm not sure what else she did.
I write alot and have one of those things you got…it holds your wrist up while typing… except mine is taller.
I'll be praying for your wrist to heal. 🙂
Blessings in Christ,
Ashley
Thank you for your prayers, Ashley. Does your wrist rest make it so your arm and wrist and hand are all at the same level, or does it hold your wrist up higher?
Blessings,
Ellie
My pleasure. 🙂 The wrist wrest holds the hand and wrist up higher than the arm. The part directly under the keys is supportive, and then a piece goes under the keyboard and it gives extra support. I hope that made sense. If you'd like, I can send you a picture. 🙂
Love in Christ,
Ashley
Thank you, Ashley! If you have a chance to send a picture, that would be great, only if it's not too much trouble. My email is NashvilleWife@gmail.com.
Ellie
Alright. I'll do that. 🙂
yes! my hands were so bad that they curled in. i was in so much pain. i even had the tests where it feels like electricity is shot in your hands and was needing surgery. my mom suggested i try a chiropractor first. so glad i did. that was 20 years ago and i still have not had surgery. when they get to hurting again, i see my chiropractor and he works on them and i'm good to go for several months.
Oh my! I'm glad you were able to find relief and avoid surgery. Do it hurt when the chiropractor works on them? I've never been to a chiropractor before, so I'm curious.
Ellie
Ellie I would call a chiropractic office and ask they if they can fix carpel tunnel. My friend did that and her Carpel tunnel went away.
So sorry you're having pain. I've had chiropractic treatment a lot and even on wrists and it doesn't hurt at all. Praying you're better soon. Like my chiropractor says, "prayer first, then chiropractic treatment and exercises!" 🙂
Ellie! I'm sorry to hear about your carpal tunnel. You are way to young. If I was you I you go to a doctor and see what he things.
I did have a friend who had carpal tunnel and her doctor told her to take alive and it help. She ended up having surgery and it is now better.
Take care of yourself and get better soon.
Your outfit looks cute.
Thank you, Beth!
Ellie
I had really bad carpal tunnel problems for over 20 years, so I hope you can figure this out a lot faster than I did.
I made some extreme dietary changes because of other inflammatory issues, and now only have trouble when I do a lot of really heavy work. I moved 12 cubic yards of planting soil from the front of my house to my back yard garden beds a couple of weeks ago, over the course of 4 days, and ended up with excruciating carpal tunnel pain. It went from my armpit to my fingertips, and was waking me up every couple of hours at night. I did a Google search for pressure points for carpal tunnel syndrome, and found this site-
http://easyhealthoptions.com/self-acupressure-for-carpal-tunnel-relief/
Toward the bottom of the page is a video. I followed all the insructions in it, and got some relief from it. I did the stretching and pressure point routine numerous times over the next few days, usually when the pain/numbness/tingling got bad, and it seemed to help every time.
Hopefully the braces will help, too. I always took them off in my sleep, so they didn't have much of a chance to help me.
If the dietary changes I made are of interest to you, let me know, and I'll provide details. I hope this is a very short term situation for you.
Thank you for sharing. I watched that video and have been doing the pressure points. I would be very interested in hearing what dietary changes you made.
(I removed one of the braces in my sleep one night, but other than that I've been good..lol)
Allie
In Jesus name I pray that you are completely healed and all pain goes!!!!!
Thank you for your prayers! I really appreciate it.
Ellie
So sorry that you are having problems with pain witch affects your ability to do the writing you love.😞 Looks like you are being proactive. I think that is a good thing. I will join my prayers with the others for a quick and complete healing.
Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement, Shela! And thank you for being a loyal reader. 🙂
Ellie
That desk looks really good to be 50 years old. Did Mr handsome work on it?
Mr Handsome could build a detachable top and it coud be ababy change table, then a childs play table, then a student desk.
Or, you could sell it and put that toward ypur expenses, if you don't want it in your life forever just 'cause it came from your in laws. I am sure they don't care what you do with it, it is almost a tank too!
That desk looks really good to be 50 years old. Did Mr handsome work on it?
No, he didn't, but it has a metal frame, so it would be difficult to do much to it. I suppose it's just been really well taken care of. 🙂
Ellie
How awesome of you to try all of those things on your own. I think it's great when we are proactive with our health! I hope everything works well for you.
Being proactive is good as long as you're not neglecting consultations with doctors and professionals. There are things that you can improve with lifestyle and life hacks, but health is a serious thing. It's always better to consult a doctor to qualify your problem in medical terms.
In Ellie's case, for example, even just from people's comments it's clear that like hacks can make it easier but don't solve the problem (and are often time consuming), while traditional medicine can solve it once and for all.
Doing things on your own can only work to a certain extent: I've heard of people who tried to "cure" cancer with a healthy nutrition…. you can imagine how it ended…
well nutrition is certainly part of it. you need your immune system to be as strong as it can be. it has worked for some. people also try natural approaches while being treated to help ease pain or boost the immune system.
Healthy nutrition is good in any case but it doesn't cure real illnesses like cancer. To spread this idea is dangerous. It's very incorrect to say that "it has worked for some". If you mean that healthy food helped you clear your skin from pimples, that's a reasonable thing to say, if you mean that it cured cancer it's very dangerous and flat out untrue.
Are you sure it's not arthritis? I developed osteoarthritis in my teens in my wrists, but it would come in flares. I found keeping them wrapped for a couple days would reduce the pain considerably.
I'm 37 now and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and neuropathy in all extremities. I will get random hand/wrist/elbow pain when a nerve in front of my shoulder or side of my neck gets pinched.
As a long time pain sufferer, I can only say that it is crucial to stay on top of the inflammation. For years now, I've been on 2-4 muscle relaxers a day. It's the only way I can stay ahead of the inflammation.
I am sorry for your suffering and will be praying for you. Turmeric is very good. Also, Osteo-biflex is very helpful. Definitely stretch you neck and back before spending much time at the computer. I can say my wrists rarely cause problems for me anymore. It's just the rest of the body now. Lol
Thank you for your suggestions! I'm so sorry to hear that you're still in pain. I suppose I'm not positive that it's not arthritis. I guess the only way to know for sure would be to see a doctor, right?
Ellie
Oh Ellie, so sorry to hear about this! I have the exact same thing. I'm in my early 30s now, and it started in my mid-20s. I also sleep with the wrist braces on. My doctor said if the wrist braces and taking something to help with the inflammation don't have a major impact, the next step would be physiotherapy in the wrist/hand. Praying for you!
-Sharon
Thank you, Sharon! And thank you for your prayers. I suppose physiotherapy would not be the worst thing to try if it doesn't get better. It would definitely be better than surgery.
Ellie
I've had some problems due to vigorous piano playing (:-) and have found that when I start having pain, putting ice on the area and massaging helps. It's not a "cure" in the long-term, but it usually seems to ease the pain for a few days. So sorry you're having trouble!
Thank you! I've tried ice a little bit, and I'm going to start having my husband massage my arms and wrists. Hope you and I are both able to get past this! 🙂
Ellie
Ellie, I have some advice for you. I had tendonitis a couple of times. I went to a doc, I went to therapy once, and I had a brace. One night I ran into a friend who is a physical therapist. The advice she gave me absolutely worked for me. She said tendonitis is inflammation, so what I needed was an anti -inflammatory med like Aleve. She said to take it every day for about a month, not just periodically. She said the Aleve needs to stay in your system for awhile to combat the inflammation.
Good luck with your situation, no matter how you proceed. I enjoy your blogs!
Of course it would be important for Ellie to avoid Aleve or anything except Tylenol if she's pregnant or trying to conceive. But that is good advice for the average person! Would an anti-inflammatory help if it's carpal tunnel? Probably, but I'm just wondering dering if there's much of a difference. I read on here that carpal tunnel is a nerve thing
Thank you for that advice! I actually just picked up a natural anti-inflammatory yesterday, so we'll see if that works. I'm not pregnant, but too much Advil tends to upset my stomach.
Ellie
I wasn't going to comment but here goes…my husband had the same issues when he had his office job but is now healed from it. Taking good omega oils especially flax seed oil and cod liver oil helped a lot and doing chelation to get the inflammation down. Also while it was so bad his chiropractor had him doing exercises with a bunji strap and that helped a lot too, I'm sure you could google those..hope this helps:)
Dear Ellie, I would love to know how you cope with the silliness in the comments section of all three main blogs. You're awesome!
God said laughter doeth good like medicine!
LOL Proverbs 17:22 is how. Read that to find out.
Ellie, About a year ago I had a very painful condition involving the tendons on the thumb side of my left wrist. I love to read, and if you can believe it, I developed the problem from holding heavy books open in my left hand for hours at a time. (Who knew you could injure yourself reading?) Anyway, I saw a physiotherapist who diagnosed De Quervain's tenosynovitis. Over the course of a few weeks I tried exercises, avoiding holding books that way anymore!, some anti-inflammatory medication, and since nothing had helped up to that point, finally the physiotherapist did a laser treatment on the area. Within 48 hours the problem was vastly improved, and it no longer bothers me. I have been very careful since then and the problem has not recurred, so I can also recommend seeing a physiotherapist. Good luck!
Ouch! This is no fun! And I'm right there with you! I have fallen on my wrists so much that I have a flare up every now and again, but you are doing everything that has been recommended to me. You can also try icing them (20 minutes only at a time; once a day). I really hope your hands feel better soon!
Ellie, Sorry to hear about your hand issues. I have had carpal tunnel and had surgery to correct the problem. That was after trying braces, Aleve, ice and heat, and massage. Since you do a lot of typing my suggestion to you is to get an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 is a good keyboard and Microsoft Arc Touch mouse is great. They sure help.
There may be a connection between carpal tunnel and low vitamin D levels. Twenty minutes a day of sunshine and a diet rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium that work with the vitamin D may help. Apples have lots of vitamins also, hope you feel better!
So you are getting sick of your in laws hand me downs and want new stuff?
These comments are so ridiculous. Why does anyone think these things are even remotely okay to publish? I know Ellie can remove them, but why even type them for her to see? Believe me, none of us want to see them. Thanks for putting up with, Ellie. I have been following your blog for a LONG time now (since you 4th post or something), and you're always so great with your comments and how you handle people.
I was a huge sceptic, but traditional Chinese acupuncture worked for me.
A friend of mine got carpal tunnel symptoms when she was pregnant, her doctor said it happens quite often, when she had her baby the symptoms went away.
I sleep with a wrist brace, I think it helps but was hard to get used to, I would like to try the exercise ball!
Yes, carpal tunnel and other nerve issues are very common during pregnancy. They sometimes don't clear up for a little while, especially with holding your baby in certain positions, or if you're a baby car seat holding type of person. But the right strengthening exercises can really help and relieve pain. Ellie, I'm praying for you! Could you please let us know how you're doing with all this in a couple of weeks? Thanks! God bless, Mrs. O'C
I'll definitely keep you updated. Thank you for your prayers. 🙂 I'm not pregnant, but I have been doing some strength exercises.
Ellie
Hi Ellie,
Have you heard of Plexus supplements? They can help with inflammation!
Blessings,
Haylee Adamson
childrenpreciousinhissight@gmail.com
Hi there!
I've also been told by someone else to look into Plexus. Do you take it?
Ellie
I have carpal tunnel only during pregnancy. Actually it is 4 am and I am up because my hand is hurting so badly. The hand splints don't seem to work for me. I am wondering if heat has helped anyone else? (The symptoms are much worse at night, and on my right hand, even continue up the arm.) This is my third pregnancy that I have experienced carpal tunnel, it has always went away after delivery.
That sounds rough. 🙁 I suppose it must have something to do with pregnancy hormones?
Ellie
Try reading the book Pain Free by Pete Egoscue, he has exercises for relieving pain and keeping your body in line. I know several people who have tried it and it has truly helped. It's a cheaper route too!
I'll look at that. Thanks! 🙂
Ellie
I have read that if you have issues with your thyroid, one of the side effects is carpal tunnel syndrome. I really hope that you don't have to have surgery. My prayers are for a speedy recovery from this pain. Take care.
Hi Elle, I have had the same problem over the last year. Nothing my doctor gave me helped and I found that while painkillers dulled the pain, they gave me stomach issues. I'm not a big one for huge amounts of medication anyway. I've found that wearing braces on and off has been a help as well as making sure that I take regular amounts of time away from my desk. I now dictate a lot of my emails via my iphone etc. Putting my wrists on ice helped too. But most of all, I have found stepping away from my computer/desk has been what's made the most difference! Good luck!
I too have experienced inflammation. If your ready for a "drastic" step try completely overhauling your diet. Only super healthy oils like olive and coconut, no sugar, no store bought salad dressing,no corn wheat or soy, no beef, only organic meat, etc. You can search for "anti-inflammatory diet". I found it very helpful. No symptoms now. I also get chiropractic adjustments. Hopefully we're not drowning you with advise. LOL
Thanks for posting on your multiple blogs. We enjoy them. 🙂
I didn't read all the comments and I am not familiar with your blog (I clicked from your duggar blog when you mentioned carpal tunnel on blog), so I don't know your personal story, but I had it badly when I was pregnant w my fourth child. It took 6 months to go away after o gave birth. So if you are pregnant, that could be part of it (again don't know your situation). I feel for you, though!!
I have never commented on anything before.. but I have had carpal tunnel from playing piano and organ and computer use. The thing that truly helped was some very VERY low-impact exercises I was given from another musician. It was so simple, but relieved the pain effectively…. that and some rest – and then be mindful of good postures (hand and arm) in the future.
When I was 11 someone pulled me from a swing while holding my head: neck-injury.
When I was 13 a little accident at gym gave me a shoulder and spine injury (both on the right side).
Since then I've been visiting a chiropractor every 3 months. He puts everything back in place and it's like the check-up for your car.
When I got my first job it was a desk job with intensive use of the computer. Since then my right arm and wrist had been very painful.
My chiropractor tried everything until he advised me to use the mouse with my left arm. This works for 15 years like a charm.
I also have my desk very low. I'm 173 cm long and my desk is 63 cm high. My feet are flat on the ground, my knies are bend in a straight corner?? (I'm Dutch so sorry for my mistakes)
My arms can hang so my shoulders are not tensed and my elbows are in a straight line with my wrists.
I have the experience that a keyboard as flat as possible helps me more.
I hope this can help you out!
For 20 years, since my college days when I typed a lot, I thought that I had carpal tunnel, and did all kinds of things to gain strength (eg: exercise, vitamins, wrist brace, magnetics, etc.) Then recently this year, I went to a MASSAGE THERAPIST who examined my problem. After having an upper body massage, I gained all sensation back on both wrists! Because this happened my therapist said that it is simply deep muscle tension on my shoulders and chest, and the result on my wrists mimics the symptoms of carpal tunnel. The muscle tension areas are due to the fact that with the duties of a mother at home holding baby in front, carrying things, cooking, washing dishes, etc. most of the muscular effort is done in the front. By relaxing those muscles by massage therapy, the blood flow that is restricted in the upper body and arms can now reach the wrists and hands. The treatment is about a month to 2x month until you gain strength on your own.
Ice dipping can heal it ~
http://lorialexander.blogspot.com/2013/01/ice-dipping-for-pain.html
I would also do trigger point therapy on it ~
http://lorialexander.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-trusty-theracane.html
Both are things you can do at home and work fabulously!
Bless your heart Ellie!