Can somebody tell me does Carpel Tunnel happen with RA? I have pain in my wrists on the underside that makes me think I might have Carpel Tunnel. Thanks in advance for anyone who answers.
Dotti51
Hi! Carpal Tunnel in my wrists was one of the first things to show (in terms of symptoms) that made me go to the Dr. (which lead to being referred to a rheumy/RA dx.)
Good luck!
Dotti, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can result from anything that causes inflammation and swelling in the wrists. RA, OA, repetitive stress, even pregnancy can cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.Hi Dotti,
I had numbness/tingling in my fingers and slight pain in my wrist a few months back. Went to see my doctor and was told it was very common to have CTS with RA. I was told to wear wrist splints and see how that would help. Didn't do much (at first) and ended up having tests to see if I had Carpal Tunnel. Sure enough that's what I had and was advised to have surgery to correct it. I told my doctor I wanted to wait just a bit longer to see if wearing the wrist splints a while longer would help. I ended up wearing them pretty much 24 hours a day (only off to wash dishes and shower) and after 3 months the numbness and tingling went away. I no longer wear the splints that often, but when I feel the symptoms coming back I put them back on for a while and this has helped immensely. I would say that now the symptoms are 99% gone.
Have it checked out by your doctor, but for sure get some wrist splints to wear. Even when I don't have those symptoms and I'm doing a lot during the day, I wear them just in case. They do help.
Good Luck!
Kelly
I have symptoms that began mainly during the night and woke me up with my hands numb. Kind of like my hands had gone to sleep. My RD advised the wrist splints at night because he said it's likely CTS. I saw a neruologist last week and he agrees. I'm having a EMG nerve conduction test in October for that and a few other nerve problems I've been having.
If it's CTS the splints work because it takes the pressure off of that nerve in your wrist. CTS is a nerve comtraption which cuts off sensations in your wrist. When it's at it's worst you'll have problems all the way up your arms, your elbow and shoulders. Mine isn't anywhere close to that.
Many things can cause CTS......RA is definately one of them. It's very often a complication of RA.
[QUOTE=Dotti51]Can somebody tell me does Carpel Tunnel happen with RA? I have pain in my wrists on the underside that makes me think I might have Carpel Tunnel. Thanks in advance for anyone who answers.
Dotti51
How was the EMG Test in your opinion Ta2d? I'm having that on 10/17 and I'm just a tad nervous about it.
Hi Lovie,
I had CTS and had the EMG done. It's not bad. It takes about 45 mins and the only bad part was when they placed the electrode needle in the back of my neck/scapal. That one was a little uncomfortable. Basically, you just lay there while they do their thing. Afterwards, I got up and drove myself home. So relax and don't worry about it.
One last thing, it was funny to see my arm jump as they stimulated it and that's normal part of the test.
Good luck,
Hi,
I had it done when we were first exploring the possibility of Carpal Tunnel being my major problem as opposed to RA.
Btw, I was terrified to take the test (having found all this info on the net about it being horribly painful) but I was more than pleasantly surprised at how easy and smooth it went. And I am a pretty big (OK HUGE) wimp when it comes to pain and needles (great candidate for RA etc., huh?). L
ike someone else posted, it was a little odd to see your body parts moving without your assistance like that. But I honestly felt no pain at all - so either it really doesn't hurt or I had a great Doc or I just got lucky....In any event, I wish you the same experience!
Good Luck!
Hi Dotti,
Having Carpal Tunnel symptoms was what sent me to the doctor when I went out of remission. I did have CTS as well as some erosion in my shoulders. So, I guess the answer is yes although in my case, the CTS could have also been brought on by 15 years of computer and customer service work.
[QUOTE=Lovie]How was the EMG Test in your opinion Ta2d? I'm having that on 10/17 and I'm just a tad nervous about it.[/QUOTE]
Lovie,
The EMG test is done in two parts and it wasn't as bad as I had expected. During the first part they put some electrodes on you and zap you with short bursts of electrical current. I didn't think that it necessarily "hurt" but it wasn't comfortable either. The second part of the test involves needle sticks. The needle sticks are no worse than getting a shot and if your relaxed you hardly even feel it. Actually for me the needle portion of the test bothered me less than the "electrical" portion.
Before you go it sounds terrible, but really it probably won't be as bad as you expect it to be.
Ta2d
Thanks guys. You've eased my mind (at least some)
I appreciate it.