Do I have Carpal Tunnel, pinch nerve or weak arms?

Horus

This started when I went to a mall and got a sample message. Afterwards I felt bad in my back and the sensation to puke. Basically I had a long day and the message probably made it worse. But is this the cause of my question.

Few days later I had to do some homework that involved a lot of typing. Those two days I kept having this sensation of soreness and my hands feeling tired.

Fast forward the soreness and tiredness in both my arms increase. I looked up some stretches and exercises on Youtube and reduced this problem to like 30% discomfort. (Feeling extremely better)

The problem is through my research Carpal Tunnel is painful, not once do I have pain. Actually I can pretty much do anything except cannot do it too long or my arms will get tired. I can use the computer just have to take more breaks than my usual 10mins for 1 hour.

I know no one here is a doctor but I am not sure what type of doctor to see my situation, also trying to avoid cortisone injection and remedy this with exercises (stretches and increase muscle strength).

Ps. The worst part is my left thumb that thing feels the most soreness, its problaly worst part of my arms.

tl;dr My arms feel sore and tired when doing something for long periods of time, is this Carpal Tunner, pinch nerve or lack of exercise on my arms?

Khavall

Where is the soreness? Because if you feel a soreness on the "bottom" of the arm(with palms down), around the wrist and also near the elbow, but possibly in the fingers themselves, then you should start maybe worrying about carpal tunnel or tendonitis. If they go numb then yeah, you're starting to worry, especially if you're also feeling the pain in those areas and feeling a weak grip.

On the other hand, if it's on the "top" of the arm, you're possibly looking at a pulled muscle or something, which is painful and sucks when you don't get a chance to rest it, but isn't going to be a problem.

On the other hand, I just got back from a tour, and one day we went to the beach, and I played crazy amounts of volleyball while there. Over the next 3 days of performances, my left hands grip was horrible, I felt really tired and tight around my elbow and wrist, I couldn't do things I normally can, it was pure torture. And at first I thought "Oh shits it's finally come, there goes my livelyhood for a half a fucking year" but then it started feeling better. By the end of the tour, it was fine. So even if you're feeling tightness and even pain and tiredness and weakness in the arms, it is possible that they're just worn out, and if you wait a few days you'll be fine.

I'm no doctor, but I do worry constantly about my arms and wrists, and unless you're feeling the numbness or pain, the chances of it being Tendonitis or Carpal Tunnel are pretty damn slim.

My advice is to rest the arms as much as you can for maybe a week, and then if it still is the same maybe panic a little.

Improvolone

On the same note, for a few years now I've had an on and off stiffness in my forearms, and for momentary relief I rotate my wrist and arm a bit and get some good cracks.

What plagues me?

Horus

Actually nothing is like your case Khavall. I believe the soreness starts at my shoulder blades, and of course my whole arm feels sore. I don't have the typical signs of weakness, sudden pain, nor inability to be flexible.

Honestly if I do something for a while its like a burning sensation you would get when working out. Thats my case and I can get it from just not resting my arms.

I guess I just have a nasty pulled muscle, DAMM free sample message screwed me up and I forgot to mention, I feel down on my arms.

But what type of doctor specializes on this? Don't want to go to my general doctor.

Tube

Go to a physiotherapist. I spent almost two years struggling with a wrist injury, before going to the physiotherapist, having two ultrasound treatments and being completely cured, leaving me feeling like a massive tosser.

LewieP's Mummy

Cardboard Tube wrote: »

feeling like a massive tosser.

The difficulty with being on the same forum as my son is how to phrase this, Tube.

You felt like a massive what? and it was a wrist pain? Go figure.

Tube

Actually it was an injury derived from my love of wailing on massive cocks mrs lewie. Cock after cock after cock. I'm utterly insatiable.

Septus

My doctor tells me the cause my muscle soreness is "joint laxity." I don't get sudden pains and have full range of motion and flexibility. On the whole, just a general tiredness in the muscles, and on occasion, slight nerve twinges and dull pain discomfort in my shoulder and/or finger joints.

I'm actually not getting too much better, but then, I left my initial physical therapist that I didn't like and have yet to find another one, so it may be that good regular exercise would fix the problem. I also really should improve my work environment. I have to use a computer all day and I've got a bad chair, and a raised keyboard, and no good way to get both my mouse and keyboard at waist level which is recommended.

LewieP's Mummy

Wailing on? that's new to me, or maybe we just call it something different over here, like fanny pouches don't quite cross the Atlantic, maybe wailing on has a specific US meaning?

LewieP's Mummy

Getting back to the OP though, you need to get your symptoms checked out. I've had Carpal Tunnel surgery twice now, can't have any more cos the scarring can cause just as many problems. I have to use voice activated software to type now - fine at home, but a bit difficult in an open plan office - as typing aggravates my symptoms.

It started off with some numbness/pins and needles in my right hand, and ended up with me losing control of my car 4 weeks before surgery and almost crashing - thank God there were no other vehicles on the road I was on.

Usually, the treatment starts with steroid injections into the wrist, wearing wrist splints if the injections don't work, and surgery if neither work.
I have to use my right hand all the time, as my left one isn't much use (Poland's syndrome), so its wearing out faster than most people's (except Tube's of course), and the carpal tunnel syndrome progressed very quickly. My consultant was surprised at how good the muscle tome was in my right hand - I play guitar, it's my chord hand, and that was what had kept the muscle tone reasonably good.
It took about 6 weeks to recover from the surgery, with lots of physio.

Get yourself checked out.