21 Apr Testimonials Carpal tunnel syndrome Ria
Experience report on treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with surgery
“I’m Ria, I’ll be 90 next year and I’m passionate about knitting. I’ve hardly been able to knit for a few years now because I can’t see out of one eye and can’t see very well out of the other. (I’ve just read about the needlework lamp. I’m going to try it out soon).
Now I also have severe wrist pain, a carpal tunnel syndrome. As I had the same problem on my left hand a few years ago and had surgery to treat it, I decided to have surgery again. The whole thing is done under local anesthesia, so I didn’t need a general anesthetic.
After the operation
I was able to go home the afternoon after the operation and had to promise to see my GP a few days later to have the bandage changed.
I was disappointed for the first few days after the operation: my hand swelled up in the evening and was numb. But after a few weeks it was much better and I’m happy. I’m pain-free during the day, my hands still get a little thick in the evening and I can feel 3 pea-sized lumps in my hand, but they’re not painful. Overall, I am satisfied and no longer have any pain. The gags don’t bother me much and at almost 90 my hands can be a bit knobbly. Next week my daughter-in-law is bringing a needlework lamp, crochet hook and thick wool. Maybe I’ll try it again…”
Addendum: Indeed! With the needlework lamp, the thick wooden crochet hook (6mm) and suitable wool, I was able to crochet a bit again. Nice! The next cushion project can begin!
Carpal tunnel syndrome does not always have to be treated surgically. There are exercises and aids that allow you to live with this limitation and even do handicrafts without surgery. In this experience report on knitting with carpal tunnel syndrome, Britta E. reports on how she deals with her limitation without surgery:
“At night I wear a splint like the one shown here. And I go to an osteopath once or twice a year. He also showed me exercises with the Theraband. This combination keeps me quite stable, but I still have to take breaks from knitting from time to time.”