Healing RSI Carpal Tunnel Tendonitis Recovery

[G2thesecondpower]

Hello there, I am a guitar player with repetitive stress injuries in both arms, most likely from very intense hours of mountain biking, cleaning fish 3 summers in a row in Alaska, and playing music. My RSI symptoms went a way after a while when I stopped cycling so intensely and stopped playing guitar for a while. However, I've been playing guitar a lot over the last two years and getting really serious about it, and now its back! I'm going to get started with weights and see if it helps...

[ottottojazz]

@G2thesecondpower good luck trying the routine. I have had good results with it. I always recommend trying to do it every day without fail for the best outcome. Good Luck!

[chocoboblue99]

I have wrists tendonitis. At first I only had it on my right hand, but I baby it so much by not letting it do anything for months that it did get weak and I did injured it again. Then, I got tendonitis on my left too by using my left a lot during that time.

I do light weights and stretches and it seems to help some what.

I get little pain here and there but it gets worse if I use my wrists doing anything too long. Typing, writing, cooking, etc. Sometimes I just feel so helpless.

[ottottojazz]

@chocoboblue99 Sorry to hear about your RSI problems. You say that you "do light weights and stretches" ... I'm not a doctor but I would recommend doing the simple routine I've demonstrated in these 4 videos every day for at least 3 months without missing a day. I believe you'll see dramatic improvements. In my experience increased muscle mass even on a microscopic level, will increase circulation which will allow healing in the area.

[chocoboblue99]

@ottottojazz

Thanks for your reply. I will try to keep it up and do that. I would like to know if you had any experience using rubber bands before to strengthen your fingers before as well?

[Giorgos25957]

I have the carpal tunnel syndrome and the doctor is talking about surgery.

I asked him what happens to the ligament they cut.

He answers that it will rejoin it self within a few months but this is something I can not cross-verify to be sure.

Do you know what ever happens to the ligament (or roof of the tunnel) they cut?

Does it rejoin or ,as some people say here on YT, it never does?

[ottottojazz]

@Giorgos25957 I had this operation in 1990. The ligament grows back together wider creating more space in the carpal tunnel. The downside is that scar tissue becomes an issue, restricting motion and causing inflammation. I would NOT recommend you have this operation. I'm not a doctor, but I've dealt with carpal tunnel daily for over 20 years. My recommendation: do the routine I've outlined in these 4 videos every day for 3 months, developed the discipline and commitment needed for recovery.

[Giorgos25957]

@ottottojazz

Thank you my friend. I'm on the beginning .It only appeared less than 4 months ago and I'll go for the surgery only if it is absolutely necessary as I'm a classical guitarist. But with the endoscopic method(and not the open surgery I think you had)the tissue should not be such problem.I think the ligament is of paramount importance as it's actually holding the wrist bones and the main palm muscles in place.

How long time you think the ligament took to grow back fully in your case?

[ottottojazz]

@Giorgos25957 Just to emphasize - I don't recommend the surgery at all. It took me 3 months to heal enough to begin playing very slowly. The muscles had atrophied in my wrist and hand so I had no strength or circulation. BTW I had one of the best hand surgeons in the US do the operation - Stewart Brown, he did a fantastic job and warned me of the downside of the operation going in. Had I known than what I know now, I would have done this simple free routine and saved myself a ton of grief.

[douskara]

Thanks man!! You're really very helpful!

[Pnkfloid49]

Thanks for your reply, It's been a couple month's and I've been doing everything you have suggested. All the pain is gone but I still get some stinging in my hands every 10 days or so, the rest of the time my arms/hands are just achy or feel like a pinching. Am I on the right track here? Should I cut down on the icing? it seems everything I've read says I should be basically healed by now. Any suggestions would be amazing.

[MattOttoJazz]

@Pnkfloid49 I'm glad the routine is helping. At this point, maintain the weight routine each day but do more stretching. Stretching the chest, back and shoulders as well as the arms... also stretches that lengthen the nerve bundle... Reach your arms out as far as possible in a cross like position, point your fingers to the ceiling and tilt your head far to each side.. hold for 30 sec each side.

[Pnkfloid49]

hey, thanks for your reply, it has given me some hope.

It has only been about 6 days or so that I have had the inflammation down and been doing the strengthening exercises, so far things seem to be going well. I've been able to start doing a little bit of daily activities again without much irritation, though my hands do get tired very fast. Maybe someday Ill even be able to play my guitar again!

[Pnkfloid49]

How can you tell if the inflamation is low enough to start the weight lifting sets?

[Pnkfloid49]

I can't seem to get out of the inflamation stage. My hands hurt a little and feel stiff then over the next few days they'll hurt less and less. Then almost not at all for nearly a week, then it goes back to hurting again. I baby my hands so much, I limit all activities. Seems like it is never gonna get better.

[ottottojazz]

@Pnkfloid49, IMHO 1. Reduce inflammation-submerge your forearms/hands in a bucket of ice water for 3 minutes 3x. 2.Warm them up again and do a set of each forearm and reverse forearm curl, stretch and do 2 more sets of 10 reps 5-8lbs. Do this EVERYDAY =increased muscle mass in the wrist and hand, increased circulation = healing. 3. read Sarnos book, Mind Body Prescription, this will help you overcome psychological problems (fear, frustration, rage) that may be exacerbating your RSI problem.

[hhbb79]

Thank you that gives me hope

[nils119]

hey, zthanks for your video!

i seem to be sophisticated with your knowledge on RSI but isnt numbness WORSE than pain? when the sensory nerves are destroyed, the motoric ones will be the next to suffer from stress?

[nils119]

sorry i mean YOU seem to be sophisticated, not "I"

[ottottojazz]

@nils119 I'm not a doctor, but IMHO, numbness and pain stem from the same basic problem, 1. Lack of muscle mass (good circulation) and 2. Lack of stretching, both the muscles and the nerve bundles.

[MrSpt67]

I can not wait to see where I am at in six months or a year.

I am so excited.

Thanks Otto for taking time to post your exercies.

Auto you have really touched my life and given me hope !

Your Friend

Steve Tenhonen

Porltand, Oregon.

I will give you an update in six months. Cheers

[MrSpt67]

I figured that I would have to live with this condition for the rest of my life.

so I worked jobs where I do not have to use my hands a lot.

However there are a lot of things in life I have dreamed of doing that I believed were impossible.

Especially career wise.

Now thirteen years I discoverd your videos and I have great hope.

I have already started your stretches and weight lifting work outs.

And I am getting phenominal results.

[MrSpt67]

Otto I first got RSI back in 1997. I had a job where I had to constantly open two giant picnic coolers with my hands. Eventauly my hands and arms swelled up. They became frozen and useless.

I let them rest for a number of months and thought I would be ok.

Then I got a job where I had to type.

The swelling returned and once again, my hands were useless.

I became extreemly depressed !

[nedmanxxx]

hi matt ! tell me this...in retrospect , do you regret having gone under the knife ? hope you'll have great 2010 ! thanks for your altruism.

[MattOttoJazz]

Yes, I regret having gone under the knife. However, even if I had not had the operation, my carpal tunnel had already lead to nerve damage in the ring finger of my left hand (from the wrist), I have a permanent tremor that negatively impacts my technique when I play.

[MBledzephed]

Good vid, I am a classical guitarist and am starting to encounter wrist and forearm fatigue on and off for a few months. I take breaks regularly, do you think these weight lifts could be a preventative measure? Also, have you heard of Inferno Wrap?

[ottottojazz]

I do think this light lifting routine will help... I do it nearly every day and it has been the most effective prevention I've found since 1990... I've never heard of inferno wrap, I hope that helps too.

[bangyourhead]

I wish I had found out about your videos a little earlier. I've had this problem for more than a year now. I used to play the guitar but I've stopped completely because of the pain, which is more or less as bad as it was a year ago. I've been doing other exercises but they haven't really helped.

I'll give your exercises a try and hopefully my condition will improve. Thanks a lot for taking the time to put these up.

[budsipper69]

One thing that I noticed that helped me was filling two tall buckets with hot water and cold water than going between them dipping my arms for a few minutes in each going from cold to hot then hot to cold.

[ottottojazz]

I agree, this really works for inflammation, I did this for along time when my hands and wrists where in crisis and my stomach was damaged from so many anti inflammation meds.

This is really the way to go, it takes a little getting used to but is natural and works better then any of the medications I've found.

[Brento44]

Funny you say that.. I have the bath tub with cold water almost all day. dunk my hands in approx 6 times a day. It helps...

[Seanface2]

Thank you so much, I've been suffering from RSI for over a year, your videos give me hope. I started the lifting today. I'll let you know how it goes.

[dimmers22]

how did it go?

[proximity2006]

I have the second phase of CTS: tingling in fingers and thumb, difficulty in making a fist, general fatigue in forearms.

I have been going to the gym and been doing a lot of back and should exercises which have helped but now I will try your forearm exercises. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[ottottojazz]

There is a book I got a lot of great stretches from that I recommend, "It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome". It's very clearly written and has some great nerve stretches as well as back and chest stretches all of which seem to help the circulation and nerve impulses that travel to the hands.

[proximity2006]

I will check it out.

Thanks for your reply.

(BTW 2 weeks of forearm work at the gym is really helping heaps)

[banglizette]

Do you take any dietary supplements for your RSI symptoms such as Glucosamine or MSM for joint care?

[ottottojazz]

I took supplements for a long time, I took everything I could find with little to no effect. Honestly, nothing has helped more than this weight routine plus stretching. After 15 years of really bad symptoms, I'm symptom free after just about one year of doing this routine 3 to 4 days per week. Now I take no vitamins or supplements (I am vegan so I get a lot of veggies/vitamins anyway). John Sarno's book "Mind Body Prescription" also helped with the psycho/emotional side of my RSI, I recommend it

[banglizette]

Do you do any exercises that strengthen your fingers and/or hands or by doing light weight exercises you're already working those?

What are your thoughts?

[ottottojazz]

I'm not an expert, but I've found the fingers in my hands have gotten plenty strong over the last year, just doing the light lifting. Now that the pain is gone, I have started to do some pull ups too, that seems to be pretty intense on the fingers and wrists, but I can do it without hurting myself.

[Geilheid]

nice

it's what I found too