carpal tunnel syndrome

[Twinkle]

I began getting numb arms after sleeping at around 20 weeks (6 weeks ago).
Now I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands but worse in my right hand.
It makes life a bit difficult as my hands have lost function and strength and I get an ache in my right forarm.
I'm having physio treatment and have arm splints to wear...they just make life even more difficult :( but they help a bit.

Anyway has anyone had experience with this during pregnancy?
And if so, how long did it take for your hands to go back to normal after the birth?

Thanks. :)

[becca022]

I had it in both pregnancies & it's an awful thing to have.

It mostly went away after they were born, but this time my left hand still sometimes hurts & my arm gets tired easily. This is 17 weeks after the birth of my last baby.

[Twinkle]

Thanks for the reply, I hope you get back to normal soon.
I was begining to think it musn't be very common.

My Mum had it a year or 2 ago (not pregnancy related) and needed surgery to fix it.

[subaruforestermum]

There was another thread a couple of days ago somewhere which might give you some more guidance too....
http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=236885

I have it, non pregnancy related, and yep I require surgery eventually to try to fix mine, problem is, it doesnt always work in young people, as young people are still active and use their hands more frequently than older generations, which have a greater success rate with surgery. So doctors are prolonging the surgery as they dont believe it will be too successful with 2 young kids, and only 25.

Goodluck with it, hope it settles down after the birth of bubs....

[mum85]

Hi, yes I had it in both also! It took a few weeks to fully clear up. I had the splints and physio that helped a little. I worked upto 36 weeks and would wear the splint to work when it was realy bad aswell as every night to bed. Mine got that bad I was dropping dishes and could not change gears driving. Theres has been the odd time where Ill get pains or weakness but goes away pretty fast. I feel sorry for you as I know how painfull it is and not many people understand as I found it was uncommon when I asked people. All the best :hugs:Tam

[Hooves]

Yes I had it with my first pregnancy.

I had it for a few years before the pregnancy, and it was documented.

BUT it got really bad while I was pregnant.

I tried the splints and physio.

I got so bad, I lost feeling in my fingers, and was always dropping things I thought I had a grip on.


I complained loudly to my doc, and they agreed to operate on my hands.

They wanted me to wait until bub was born, but I insisted I wanted it done before she was born.

I had the surgery one hand at a time, 6 weeks apart. I was given an arm block anaesthetic, so was awake for both procedures.

THE surgery was over and done with quickly, and my arms in each case were feeling a lot better almost instantly.

My case was inherited and I had it quite badly. SO that helped the doctors make up their mind to operate.

TO this day they have been good, and that was over 10 years ago.

THE only down side is that I have weakness in my grip. SO things like water skiing, which I love has been hard. I can not do it any more, as I can not hold onto the rope, for long periods of time, and If I don't get up straight away, I am not going to.

Small price to pay for pain free, though.