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Can she do anything to make me a better (guitar) player Brian Hawkins38580.8194444444

You may have developed carpal tunnel syndrom from repetitive motion

Hi Steve,
I've been playing for 45 yes. and within the last five yrs, I have been suffering with Osteoarthritis. Mostly in my lower back and hands and shoulder. And the pain...my God!
I'll never be able to play like I used to.

WalterK

That's why I am going. I think that the majority of the problem is treatable with physical therapy. The arthritis may not be reversable but the muscle problems are. That was the point of my post. If there's something I can do, I will.

[QUOTE=bob J] You may have developed carpal tunnel syndrom from repetitive motion[/QUOTE]

I suppose that's possible but it's in the wrong part of the hand. The wrong knuckle. We'll see...

Steve

Carpal tunnel is of cource inflamation of the nerve as it passes throug the carpal tunnel in the wrist. It can cause many differnt affects in any joint or legament in the hand, arm or even the sholder. Early stages are numness and lack of sensation in the fingers,hand, elbow and or shoulder, but later affectsd include athritic sensation and weakness.

It ended my performing days 10 yeras ago. I had surgry and it fixed for a couple of years but returned. a second surgry helped for several months but not as well as the first. Now I can play for only 10-20 min at a time.

If you do not notice swelling in the knuckle that you are having problems with I would suspect it is not athritic but due to carpal tunnel. It was not the gripping of the handel bar but the jarring of the wrist tha hyo-inflamed the nerve. I would bet a donut on it.

I worked in the medical field for about 30 years, so what I am about to say was anathema to my earlier beliefs concerning medicine.

A little over two years ago I broke my left wrist in a fall. It has never entirely been the same since, mostly due to arthritis that had pre-existed and was aggrevated by the injury. A little over a year ago I broke my right wrist from a table saw kickback (really really really hurt, btw). In both cases xrays and mri's failed to uncover the source of my remaining pain and incapacity, and the Orthopods had pretty much resorted to the time tested cortisone shot and see me again in three weeks routine.

In complete frustration I walked into an accupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine shop that happened to be in a shopping center where I was shopping one day. I explained the issue of my right wrist to the Doctor of Oriental Medicine. He asked a few questions, then proceeded to stick some needles in me and had me lying there like a pin cushion for about an hour. I was then given some bags of herbs, told to boil the contents in water and drink a cup every day and see him again in a month. I did, though I have to say the needles were far less painful than drinking that horrible herbal tea each day. After a month, I went back, got some more pins in me and another few bags of herbs. Interestingly I wasn't told to make another appointment. Two weeks later I was completely healed, INCLUDING a pre-existing carpal tunnel problem with my right wrist which was so bad I couldn't rest it on a mouse pad.

My right wrist is now as good as new. My left wrist still has some arthritis problems, but it was almost 18 months after my left wrist injury that I saw the Oriental doc. I'm sure a lot of damage occurred during that period. I've had no ongoing problem AT ALL with my right wrist, including the carpal tunnel issue, since my last visit.

I'm sold on this science. You might want to try it, but I urge you to find a classically trained Chinese doctor and not some nouveax medicine clinic that offers accupuncture along with hypnosis, electric shock, and range of other holistic "cures".   

Jerry, you are right on. The chinese have (for centuries) been on top of the field in understanding the nervous system of the human anatomy. I studied Chinese Kung Fu (an art over 2000 years old)for several years and there are nerves in the body that if struck correctly can result in delayed death by causing internal organs (liver, kidneys and heart)to fail over a period of a few months. It's called Dim Mak (the poison hand touch of death). Very interesting that this knowledge was discovered and practiced centuries before the present Medical Experts discovered it.

Some years ago I found that I couldn't even bend the little finger on my left hand at all, due to damage to the carpel tunnel. My son's sports Physio, treated me with hot wax baths, (one of the most pleasant experiences of my life) where your hand is dipped in hot wax repeatedly until a large glove of warm wax forms it's then wrapped up and left for 15mins or so. The wax was then pealed off and I had ultrasound. The result after 10 treatment over two weeks is that I've never had a problem since. Basically what I'm saying is go see a sports physiotherapist if you have hand trouble.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.