Hi I'm new here. Does anyone have any experience with this and do you think that this is just my RSD/CRPS and has anybody ever had this happen to them and it just never goes away?Let me start by saying that I have full body complex regional pain syndrome CRPS otherwise known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy RSD. So that is what is complicating this whole thing because it is most likely a flare of this neurological nerve pain disorder. I think the way I got injured was I was doing repetitive exercises for my back to try to strengthen my back using small weights and resistance bands as the therapist advised doing exercises everyday. The pain started when they increased the resistance bands rapidly in the course of a week and started having me lifting hand weights but whereas before I wasn't lifting anything and then to make matters worse once this pain started and I was starting to get the pain in my wrist I started doing all these different stretching exercises such as pulling my hands back and all these different stretches that I saw on the internet for carpal tunnel which started probably making the pain worse even though I thought I was helping myself it was making the pain worse and I did that for a good month thinking I was helping myself. The pain started first in my wrist and then was traveling into both hands and both arms and it just felt like severe what you wouldn't consider tendonitis/carpal tunnel like pain.It's been about almost 5 months and I have been having severe what seems like tendonitis type pain in both wrists both hands and both arms. I can tell the pain is coming from my wrist and it feels like shooting stabbing chronic aching throbbing burning and it starts in my wrist and the pain goes all the way up my arms to my elbows and then all the way into my hands as well but the majority of the pain is by far in my wrist as it hurts every time that I move my wrists especially but even at rest.
I've had an EMG which tested positive for mild carpal tunnel in both wrists and I even had an MRI on one of my wrists and it did not show up any kind of tendonitis or tendonitis or any breaks or anything. The doctors do not know what is causing my symptoms in both my wrist hands and arms and they are just assuming that it is my CRPS flash complex regional pain syndrome that is holding on to the pain and that is flaring but a CRPS flare would not last for 5 months I don't think. I use my hands constantly and I've already tried the route of trying to rest them and wear wrist braces for about 2 and 1/2 months even day and night and I even took celebrex during that whole time to try to get any sort of inflammation down but I can't stand living in the braces as yes it does make the pain feel better while they're on but I can't I get too hot and I just can't stand I can't sleep with them on etc.
I've been to two hand surgeons and they both think that carpal tunnel surgery wouldn't do any good because they say that I'd still have the pain that's coming from my tendons and they swear that I do not have tendonitis or tendonitis even though it feels like it and they have no advice as for what I should do for treatment other than just going to a pain management doctor and I'm already on Tramadol for the nerve pain of my crps/rsd so I don't think there's anything else they could do.
Any advice or experience or knowledge would be appreciated. Thank you
Calcific tendonitis however you've had mri done no sign ....I've calcific tendonitis which starts at Thumb base & goes through tendon pain electric shock sensation locks elbow flares up I just get on with it . I've had carpel tunnel release right hand didn't work so havnt had left done..hands cramp up & have appointment at hand clinic . It could be carpel Do you have numb palms pins & needles plus does the pain wake you up at nyt? Mine does feels like hands exploding & painful ... just a thought wish you well in finding out the cause
I don't have the numbness or pins and needles really. It's more the constant burning pain and tendinitis like pain like severe aching throbbing and my wrists, arms, and hands hurt all the time but esp my wrists. It hurts even at rest but if I barely move my wrists at all or use my hands to do anything then the pain quadruples. Yes I do have mild carpal tunnel per EMG but surgeons feel that that surgery wouldn't take away my pain esp the pain in my wrists and tendons. They just feel it's my RSD and I'm sure it's that too but I feel that it's also a chronic repetitive strain injury that I'm fearful will never heal nor go away since I've had it 5 months now.
I have a fusion of C4-7. Initially tried and failed at point injection and electrical stimulation. Graduated to injections of facets and they worked within reason. Learaned of rhizotomy for the nerve pain that continued for several months. Now have lumbar pain as well. The rhizotomys work well for 10-14 months depending on how active I am, and then I get them done again, to avoid surgery. The do the rhhizotomys on the cervical fusions and the L5-S3. The pain is manageable and the procedures are necessary to moderate the pain. Works well for me. Inbetween rhizotomys, I take 100mgs of Tramadol daily and it just about takes the edge off what otherwise would be increased pain---I have to live with some of the pain. Not ready for the lumbar fusions just yet. I havae no experience with CTS, however. The Tramadol works well for me and my particular injuries/issues (former airborne soldier in the Army) Good luck.
I'm sorry to hear about what you go through. I have extreme pain as well as I have kyphosis from severe osteoporosis that I still have due to over 25 years of anorexia and I broke T0 -T12 in my back 12 years ago but due to my severe osteoporosis I cannot get surgery that I need which would be the spinal fusion to be able to correct it. Also I have over 25 years of anorexia so that's why my bones are so bad and the doctor is trying to see if he can get my bones good enough to get surgery but I'd have to gain a good deal of weight and I'm scared to do the spinal fusion mainly because I'm so afraid that the bones are not going to be strong enough to be able to withstand such a huge complicated surgery. He just started me on evenity as I've been on prolia for years but I need more help. So my back is always in constant severe pain because of the osteoporosis and the kyphosis because I keep getting more and more curved over. The surgeon was just going to let me be an embrace the rest of my life but the past couple years I've not been wearing a brace because it was rubbing against the back of my bone but now he says that I need a brace because the last couple years I've my curve has progressed more and more and he and I are both worried that if he does not either do the spinal fusion or at least keep me in a brace for the rest of my life that he's worried that I'll end up in a wheelchair unable to function at all and with unbearable pain. So I'm trying to get my bones stronger so that I could hopefully get the spinal fusion but I don't know that I'll ever be able to with the osteoporosis and like I said it would be really hard for my anorexic mind to have to accept gaining about 60 lbs to get it. So for now in about a week I'm supposed to get a custom-made back brace made for me so that if I don't end up getting the spinal fusion I would hopefully have that to help keep me up right but my fear is I don't know that that will be enough to help keep me up right for the rest of my life like saying if I can't get the surgery.... Do you think a back brace would be enough to keep me upright and not let the curve get worse since my bones are probably not going to be good enough to get ever get the spinal fusion? I just want to avoid ever ending up in a wheelchair and I want to avoid my back curve from getting any worse because this kyphosis is killing me with the pain and I don't want it to cause more broken bones in my back...
I also go through extreme pain as well as I have complex regional pain syndrome/crps/rsd in all four limbs and face. So that causes extreme nerve pain and I also take Tramadol 400 mg a day to manage that. The Tramadol used to completely take away all of my nerve pain but not my back pain but now with this new thing of the repetitive strain injury I guess I'll call it the pain in my wrist and hands and arms the Tramadol does not take that away. In fact like I said nothing is taking that pain away. I've tried wearing the wrist braces for a couple months and taking anti-inflammatories as well and it does lessen the pain however I can't stand to be in those all the all the time because it just makes me too hot as I am going through hot flashes due to lack of estrogen so it's almost like I'm in menopause and the braces and anti inflammatories both just make me too hot. The surgeon also tried giving me the steroid injections into both of my wrists where I guess they would do that for pain from carpal tunnel or tendonitis but it didn't help either. So now they've just told me to go to a pain doctor and see if they can do anything else for me as they don't know what to do and the Tramadol is not enough for that pain in my wrists. The only thing the surgeons have said at this point is to go to a pain management doctor for my RSD as they feel this is what's causing all the pain in my wrist and hands and arms. Since I'm already taking the full dose of Tramadol that you can take in a day I don't really know what else they could give me since I can't seem to take anti-inflammatories. I'm going to a pain management doctor in a couple days but he only does injections and no oral meds so I'll get his take on it but more than likely I'm probably going to have to try to find a pain management doctor that does give oral meds although like I said I don't know if there's anything that they can do for my rsi to my wrists.
I’m sorry to read you seem to be in such a state. Your doing a lot to help yourself. When I was in my 20s I developed. RSI and it was called Tenosynovitis . .. so I’ve lived my life knowing exactly what triggers this pain and I’ve had to refrain from doing what might trigger it again. Therefore I’m telling you in my experience resting the offending joint is the only way you will improve it . I’m not sure if my tenosynovitis is the same as your tendinitis , Swimming and water aerobics helps me . I do hope you improve soon. .
Well I've tried resting it but everything I need to do causes the pain to flare so I can't stop living. I've even given up doing my physical therapy 5 months ago when this pain in my wrist and hands and arms started with resistance bands for strengthening my back per drs instructions to try to keep the kyphosis from getting more progressed. Now I'm worried about my back maybe getting worse if I don't go back to doing the back exercises. However if I resume them I don't know if that will be bad for my wrists, etc.....? It's like I am darned if I do, darned if I don't. I don't know if I should go back to doing my physical therapy for my back (resistance bands for my back) or not?
What is tenosynovitis? Is it like a chronic repetitive strain injury that doesn't go away like what I'm talking about? Is it where mine is like in my wrist and arms and hands? Did you ever go to physical therapy like hand therapy? Does anything help the pain?
yes Tenosynovitis is definitely repetitive strain injury . Experts will tell you basically to “ refrain” whatever it is that’s triggering the tendons to react . If you keep going back to whatever triggers it you will never see an improvement. . I know it’s difficult but that’s how it is. . After 6 months of complete rest with it then you will definitely see an improvement . But never go back to the trigger. In my case it was typing , badminton , bowling, and piano playing. I touch none of those things. You cannot do things like cleaning windows for instance. All will trigger. Sorry but that is exactly how it is.
Okay thanks a lot for your advice! I will try to not go back to doing the physical therapy resistance bands with my hands then if I can help it. However if my back needs it in order to keep my back strong and in order to help the kyphosis from getting worse then I guess I'll have to. Other things trigger it too but I can't quit using my hands/ wrists/ arms. But using resistance bands with all that pulling and tugging on my wrist and hands is probably a big trigger that I probably should to try to avoid if I can if they don't think it'll make a difference in making my back curve (kyphosis)worse.
Was there any creams or anything that helped with the pain if you can't avoid everything?
One last thing, were you told about the fact our tendons have this protective fluid in a sheath , this keeps everything nice and lubricated. So when we get RSI ( repetitive strain injury) if this fluid in the sac dries out then we are left with everything grinding together, thus the result is pain. I had this explained to me when I was diagnosed with tenosynovitis . Some years ago.
Have you had hand therapy for your chronic RSI in your wrists? Did it help,? I went to a pain doctor last week and he said that there was nothing that he could do for either my CRPS or for the repetitive strain injury in my wrist. He feels that it will be lifelong and there wasn't anything that he could offer as far as helping with the pain. I asked him if he thought it would be okay to go back to doing my back exercises with the resistance bands and he said that he felt that it would so then I asked my hand doctor what he thought and he said that I could try it and to let pain be my guide well that's hard to do when everything increases the pain even you know just looking at your phone or using my wrist at all for anything.
So I still don't know if I should do it (restart the back strengthening exercises with resistance bands) or not?
Also I then got the thought of you know the internet says that hand therapy helps some people so I wrote my hand dr a message on my chart and asked if he would give me a prescription for hand therapy to maybe teach me some exercises or stretches to do for my hands not knowing if that would aggravate it or if that would help it but he doesn't want to do anything else because he feels he's done all he can do and advised me to get another second opinion although I've already gotten a second opinion he wants me to get another opinion from like a big university like UK or you see or UL. I live in Covington Kentucky near Cincinnati Ohio. I don't know of anywhere else to go for a second/third opinion.
Have you had hand therapy for your RSI in your wrists? Did it help? If so I want to try it but like I said I just don't want to do any hand stretches that may make the pain worse so I just don't know if that would help or hurt it?
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