Saw my rheumy about two weeks ago & in spite of my remicade dosage being increased to 800 mg every 6 weeks, my hands still ache & Carpal tunnel is driving me bananas. I have it in both hands. Not to mention it keeps me up ALL NIGHT LONG. I have wore the splints, which is a joke. My fingers ache & tingle when I am wearing the splint or not. My rheumy said the carpal tunnel is more then likely from my wrists fusing & suspects muscle damage to my thumb & ordered the EMG. My rheumy says I will probably need surgery but is hoping that with another 2 infusions the carpal tunnel will subside. I am wondering if the surgery has helped anyone & if the EMG is painful.
Hi Liz,
I have carpal tunnel, also. My EMG, went pretty smoothly. The most painful part is when they put the needle between your index finger and thumb. It only hurts for a few minutes. I have used wrist braces, which have helped me previously, now its pretty much to give my wrists a break.
I have heard surgery works for some and not others. I guess it would be according to the doctor.
Good luck
Unless there is medial nerve damage, I'd prolly do a conservative approach including injections. This is one time when an EMG makes sense. They can hurt A LOT, or not. I'd ask in regards to the surgery which approach he would take (there are two open an scope) and why. There is a ton of info all over the net on the two.
While most report improvement in function. The lessening of symptoms and especially pain not so much. here is one study (although its older it gives some good basics and questions:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2517327/
Good luck. You might actually want to try accupuncture/pressure... The surgery is permanent they cut stuff you know.
Hi, Liz
I had carpal tunnel trouble long before I was diagnosed with PsA (I had PsA, I just didn’t know it). It’s awful, but that is not the only reason to treat it: apparently, you can lose function if you just let it go.
I’ve had the EMG test done on both my hands and on my feet/legs. It is just plain annoying. OK, it’s REALLY annoying, but nothing worse than that. Ugh…shocks, zaps. Anyway, compared to a barium enema, a piece of cake. LOL
I had one carpal tunnel release just before I got my PsA diagnosis. The surgery itself wasn’t a big deal, done under local. The post op pain was bad for about a day. Be sure you get the pain killers and start taking the full dose before the freezing comes out. Don’t wait until the pain sets in before you take the meds.
After the surgery, I was annoyed because there didn’t seem to be an improvement. But, after about six months I realized that I no longer needed my night brace and the CTS symptoms were gone. Hurray! I still have it in my other hand, but because I’m convinced it is related to PsA, I’m holding off doing anything about it until I go on the big-guns meds, which I hope will be soon.
In the meanwhile, I’m thinking about some of the alternatives to surgery that Lamb mentioned: accupuncture or maybe a cortisone shot. It’s not really high on my priority list just now, as I’ve got the hip thing competing for medical attention.
Good luck with this nasty little problem!
Hi Liz, thanks so much for the ribbon and welcome. I have carpal tunnel in both wrists, had it for many years, too much computer input, etc., lol, The splints are sometimes helpful, they cover up the bandage I have to wear on my right hand to make sure I don't get staff or mrsa as my hand is cracked and bleeding most of the time. The splint just don't help sometimes and it feels like my arm is going to blow off especially at nite, I believe this is from a a pinched nerve or something in my neck that needs tending to. This past week's weather has finally hurt so bad that I have just given into crying most of the time. Am in need of some emotional help, I have an appt., but don't care for the doctor, bad experience, I would prefer a woman. Your hands look like mine! And I have found legs and other body parts that look the same. Thanks for being there for us. What part does dementia play in PsA?