Debilitating Hand/Wrist Problems

Talin and I have been corrosponding recently, and one of the subjects that came up was debilitating hand and wrist injuries in geek friends and people we know. In fact, for those you who follow science fiction/fact at all, author David Brin has been suffering from these problems quite recently. One of the major issues is the different types of problems, and misdiagnosis. We know how dependent we are on our hands-how many people do you know with problems? Do you worry about this? Any helpful hints for others? Click below for the letter from David.

Starting in April, I underwent severe pain and disability in both hands, initially caused by excess typing. After some delay, I saw a neurologist who tested both median nerves and thereupon eliminated classic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). Followup tests ruled out rheumatoid arthritis, lyme disease, and tendonitis. I finally got to see a rheumatologist, who had better insights than the neurologist and concluded I had RSD -- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy-a syndrome that is still not well characterized, but seems to involve persistent harmonic misfiring of a major nerve in the arm, often triggered by an injury... but RSD can linger a long time after the initial injury is gone.. Sometimes this neurological disorder is treated by injecting anesthetics injected in the neck. This proved unnecessary in my case. (RSD web sites proved nearly useless, since they were mostly written by aggrieved sufferers of extreme cases, and the symptoms they described were so severe that I initially figured the syndrome had nothing to do with me.)

With diagnosis came rapid progress. An occupational therapist recommended vigorous exercises, notably different from those you would offer a CTS sufferer. I'd been babying my hand/arm, to let swelling reduce -- fine for CTS, but exactly WRONG for RSD! She told me to stretch, bend my wrists back and forth, plunge my hands in rice, carry progressively heavier objects.... The exercises were harsh but effective. I can now report the excruciating pain is gone. I've regained mobility in both hands. The right still gets occasional tremors but has regained most of its strength. I can even type, though haven't tested it with a full-tilt novel immersion.

I hope this is helpful.

Joy to you and yours.

db