Hi all ,

I started new job in the middle of September this year.
4th morning after I started here I noticed I can´t move my fingers on the right hand. It´s the same till now, sometimes even in the evening. I was waiting if it will get better-I may get used to the work - but it doesnt. It´s really annoyng, I need always ca. half ahour till I can move the fingers properly and manage to hold something in the hand. Meaning, I must go up half hour earlier (I even don´t eat breakfast anymore, cos I would have to go up even earlier, otherwise I can´t hold a knife in my hand when I wanna spread butter on my bread...). At the beginning I had such tickling feeling in both hands in the mornings, this is now gone, but this case where I can´t move fingers in the mornings stayed. What to do? What can it be?

I work in the stable with horses - I did that job before too and never had this problem. Could it be because we use this for cleaning stables?(see link) (usually it is used just for the riding arena to collect the sh..)

www.profi-tack.de . . .

Thnaks

For over two months you haven't been able to move your fingers in the mornings and you haven't seen a doctor? Um....sorry but that is something that would kind of freak me out. You've waited long enough - it's not getting better - and people on DDN aren't really going to be able to help you except for maybe throwing out a few "It could be"s. Go to the doctor.

It could be several things: heart/circulatory problem, pinched nerve, carpal tunnel, some sort of tendinitis, side effects of a medication you might be on... The important part is that all of the causes of this are very serious. I don't know why you haven't gotten this looked at, get thee to a doctor RIGHT AWAY.

My guess is carpal tunnel. Get a really good, stiff brace for both wrists, wear them pretty well every minute you don't depend on full range of motion in both wrists, and you should see immediate improvement.

You need to see a doctor. Until then, the splints are an excellent idea. When you sleep your wrists and fingers naturally contract. If you can't purchase splints, use balsa wood and wrap your wrists and fingers straight to keep them in a good position while you sleep. (An ace bandage will do this well) This will make morning easier.

Also, warm water helps. Soak your hands in a basin of warm water, take a bath in the morning instead of a shower, or use a paraffin dip to warm your joints. Plain bars of paraffin with some baby oil can be melted in a pan. Be careful not to burn yourself, but when it is melted and warm, dip your hands in it and let it harden and when it is cool, peal it off. The mineral oil will help it come off easily. The warmth does penetrate and help.

Again...you need to see a doctor. Until then, I hope this helps.

Keep On Dancing*

Just because you've done the work before with no problem doesn't mean it's unrelated. Overuse injuries tend to be cumulative - the effects build up gradually over time. In addition to your work and the way you use your hands and arms, you should also look at the positions you sleep in. Especially if you are a side sleeper and put weight on one or both arms at night.

I would caution you, though, when you do see a doctor, not to accept an initial diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. One of my beefs with Western medicine. Someone goes to a doctor and they say "Oh, numbness in your fingers? Sounds like carpal tunnel" and that's the end of it. Then they go through treatment, the condition doesn't respond, so they have surgery. Post-surgery, they are still having symptoms! There are quite a few other conditions that mimic the symptoms of CTS but for whatever reason are ignored by doctors. If you knew the number of people I see who have undergone surgery for CTS only to find that the impingement was actually in the elbow or the shoulder and not the wrist.

My husband had a situation where there was an Ulnar nerve lesion in his elbow... he was told to make sure that he didn't sleep with his elbow bent at all... I think he wrapped a pillow around his arms so that he couldn't bend them while he slept and it made matters better.

His (IMHO idiot) doctor told him he would need surgery... he refused to go and get treatment for it like I told him. I firmly believe in a vast majority of cases that surgery should be a last resort (meaning no treatment has worked).

One day his elbow popped and things got significantly better, he still has it every once in a while, but the elbow popping seems to move things back in.

My MILs doctors let her suffer for years with carpal tunnel - they basically waited to the point that she couldn't move her hands at all, regardless of what happened, before they even mentioned surgery.

And my ever so fantastic OB went "Oh yeah, you've got carpal tunnel." With all the level of caring that someone might use to go "Oh yeah, she's got brown hair...". I had to go to back to my primary care to get treated at all. And obviously, no one is going to recommend surgery for a pregnant woman (outside of a C Section), so my primary was the one that recommended the wrist braces.