Advice on next steps after using splint
I had my appointment in Oct 2019
Went well to begin with wearing splint at night, been worse again recently, and connected to shoulder/jaw ache as well.
Not sure if I should focus on carpel tunnel - consider injection, and/or be patient and continue with the splint consistently at night for longer? OR focus on trying to figure out the shoulder/jaw issue. Which is impacting which??
appreciate your advice.
Detail:
My numbness was already subsiding gradually before coming to the appointment (symptoms got worse after a long cycle holiday/event in August 2019, and since stopping cycling in Sept, gradually improved) and continued to subside when wearing the splint at night (only right wrist) after my appointment in later October.
Although I was never completely numb-free, I did experience some nights when I didn't wake at all with numbness (horray!)
I stopped wearing the splint all the time in January 2020, only wearing it when my wrist felt a bit strange or slight numbness before going to bed. Since then the numbness has returned a little more. So I started wearing the splint again 2 weeks ago consistently, and yet the numbness has continued, waking me at least 2-3 times (minimum) a night. I am also experiencing a little aching/stiffness in the wrist in the mornings, and sometimes during the day, although it's very unusual to get numbness during the day (I still don't cycle).
In addition, my jaw, shoulder and upper right arm (which has felt a little achy/caught for a couple of years now) are feeling worse. I have previously (year ago) seen my GP, have a gum shield that slightly relieves the jaw aching at night, and had physio and osteopath treatments over time for this (do yoga, etc), with no-one finding anything specifically wrong.
I feel that I could benefit from seeing someone to discuss the whole issue (jaw/shoulder/arm/finger numbness) but I don't know who could help with that.
In the absence of a broader solution, at least I'd like to get my numbness reduced as much as possible again.
thanks for your reply
please could you advise on the immediate impact of the injection - i.e. how long I would need to rest my hand/wrist, any likely pain/discomfort to deal with? That way I can prepare for it.
and how would I get an appointment with you? What's the likely waiting time till an appointment?
Many thanks
Melanie
We can usually inject Monday to Thursday at more or less any time from 9:00 am to 4:00pm. The afternoons are generally quieter and my staff have quite a few annual leave days around this time of year so it's best to check and plan a time rather than just turning up but we can usually fit in with your schedule. Most patients carry straight on with their normal activities afterwards, a small minority have to rest the hand for a few days but it's rare enough that it's not worth planning for. Pain of the injection itself is usually rated 1-2 out of 10. WHen would you like to come? JB
Thanks for your reply
Interestingly i've had a few better nights, with none or little numbness. So I'm going to continue with the splint for now.
And I'm guessing the coronavirus might impact appointments now or very soon.
I'll be back if things don't progress overall.
thanks for your help.
Fair enough. The virus is having some effect but it's a bit mixed, although it is adding stresses to the system overall it also means that a few people are choosing not to come to hospital with non-urgent problems such as mild CTS. It looks as though much elective surgery (such as carpal tunnel surgery) is probably going to be severely curtailed. For us the biggest problem will be if a member of staff actually contracts the virus as that will make all the rest of us immediate contacts and we will end up shutting the department for 2 weeks. JB
I wound be inclined to try injecting the wrist as a diagnostic experiment - to see which symptoms improve and which don't. We can do this fairly easily for you. JB