stregapez
23-05-2006, 05:15 AM
My right hand, mostly my fifth finger, is messed up. At least 4 months ago now I slipped on the bathroom floor in my new house while getting out of the shower stall. My fall was broken, in part, by the ulnar side of my right hand. I am pretty sure I did not tear any ligaments. Pain was not terrible even at first. I rested my hand and it got better, but has never recovered completely.
For some time, post initial healing, my pinky did not hurt unless I bumped into something by mistake, the dog yanked my hand with the leash while walking him, etc, though the pad of my finger just below pinky has remained sore upon rubbing it this whole time.
When movement does hurt it, it hurts during both flexion and extension of all 5th finger joints, aduction & abduction. ROM seems normal except that pinky does not abduct as far as left pinky (for all i know its always been that way though; no idea) The last couple weeks it has hurt more often with simple movements, even slight ones sometimes (as opposed to only when its bonked) It does not usually hurt unbearably or anything, and sometimes stops hurting entirely upen completely resting it (like watching tv for an hour or two with fingers slightly flexed) but it is not right.
Thumb in same hand is messed up from doing deep massage a year and a half ago now and , I believe, tearing a ligament. ( i DO NOT do agressive work with my hands anymore, that , in fact was an isolated case of me experimenting on some deep thumb compression on my son). Though the thumb has steadily improved, even up to a few months ago, it still feels odd (usually stiffish, not usually painful anymore)
About 2 years ago now, post specific injuries, I began, out of the blue it seemed, to have stiff hands and pain. Got Xrayed for arthritis (negative) and had sed rate, Rh factor, ANA test done , all negative. Decided it was from lifting weights, too much too often, including on days I am too tired/sleep-deprived etc. Slacked off on that and in time (a long time) my hands have gotten mostly over the original symptoms. Left is relatively back to normal. Right hand is mostly abnormal only in thumb and pinky. I dont use my pinky that much. Honestly, I do only a few massages a week (and have gone weeks at a time lately doing none, partly as i had no office for awhile, and was moving houses, plus many of my clients (aka my impoverished friends) ran out of money) I use my pinkies very little when I do them and it does not appear to agravate especially , though i cannot say for certain. Still use exercise machines, but only about twice a week at most, and not excessively when i do. I have the feeling my pinky would still be abnormal if i was doing neither of those things (niether of which seems to cause more than very mild discomfort in pinky if at all) Using computer hurts more than anything, other than bonking it.
Why dont my hands heal and, or, why does it take so long for my hands to heal ? Is it "old age"? (40) I feel sure thats partly it, maybe partly from the intitial overuse sensitizing them, but it still seems freaky. The thumb i can more see since it was a major tear, but not the pinky.
Oh yeah, my right had is usually colder than my left. Does that mean ischemia from interference with a nerve, or a tight muscle, or damaged tissue, or something to do with parasympathetics, or what? (I used to tend to have cold hands and feet generally , by the way, but that has changed quite a bit for the relatively warmer in the last couple years. But the the right hand is till cold, lately anyway)
And what should I do? I am trying heat intermitently, as of two days ago, thanks largely to this article http://www.ampainsoc.org/pub/bulletin/nov04/inno1.htm
and was thinking of trying constant heat (a mit, etc) I am going to see an orthopedic surgeon i know, mostly so he can send me to a decent PT, since I saw him once before for something else and he did so, plus he seems to know his stuff (and both my osteopath and rheumatologist seem utterly, in fact frighteningly dumfounded by such problems) Appointment is not for a month though .
I am really curious about why my right hand is cold, and not my left?
I will be a while before i am up to speed with most of you folks (give me a couple more incarnations) but i suppose it can't hurt to inquire here anyway
Dana
For some time, post initial healing, my pinky did not hurt unless I bumped into something by mistake, the dog yanked my hand with the leash while walking him, etc, though the pad of my finger just below pinky has remained sore upon rubbing it this whole time.
When movement does hurt it, it hurts during both flexion and extension of all 5th finger joints, aduction & abduction. ROM seems normal except that pinky does not abduct as far as left pinky (for all i know its always been that way though; no idea) The last couple weeks it has hurt more often with simple movements, even slight ones sometimes (as opposed to only when its bonked) It does not usually hurt unbearably or anything, and sometimes stops hurting entirely upen completely resting it (like watching tv for an hour or two with fingers slightly flexed) but it is not right.
Thumb in same hand is messed up from doing deep massage a year and a half ago now and , I believe, tearing a ligament. ( i DO NOT do agressive work with my hands anymore, that , in fact was an isolated case of me experimenting on some deep thumb compression on my son). Though the thumb has steadily improved, even up to a few months ago, it still feels odd (usually stiffish, not usually painful anymore)
About 2 years ago now, post specific injuries, I began, out of the blue it seemed, to have stiff hands and pain. Got Xrayed for arthritis (negative) and had sed rate, Rh factor, ANA test done , all negative. Decided it was from lifting weights, too much too often, including on days I am too tired/sleep-deprived etc. Slacked off on that and in time (a long time) my hands have gotten mostly over the original symptoms. Left is relatively back to normal. Right hand is mostly abnormal only in thumb and pinky. I dont use my pinky that much. Honestly, I do only a few massages a week (and have gone weeks at a time lately doing none, partly as i had no office for awhile, and was moving houses, plus many of my clients (aka my impoverished friends) ran out of money) I use my pinkies very little when I do them and it does not appear to agravate especially , though i cannot say for certain. Still use exercise machines, but only about twice a week at most, and not excessively when i do. I have the feeling my pinky would still be abnormal if i was doing neither of those things (niether of which seems to cause more than very mild discomfort in pinky if at all) Using computer hurts more than anything, other than bonking it.
Why dont my hands heal and, or, why does it take so long for my hands to heal ? Is it "old age"? (40) I feel sure thats partly it, maybe partly from the intitial overuse sensitizing them, but it still seems freaky. The thumb i can more see since it was a major tear, but not the pinky.
Oh yeah, my right had is usually colder than my left. Does that mean ischemia from interference with a nerve, or a tight muscle, or damaged tissue, or something to do with parasympathetics, or what? (I used to tend to have cold hands and feet generally , by the way, but that has changed quite a bit for the relatively warmer in the last couple years. But the the right hand is till cold, lately anyway)
And what should I do? I am trying heat intermitently, as of two days ago, thanks largely to this article http://www.ampainsoc.org/pub/bulletin/nov04/inno1.htm
and was thinking of trying constant heat (a mit, etc) I am going to see an orthopedic surgeon i know, mostly so he can send me to a decent PT, since I saw him once before for something else and he did so, plus he seems to know his stuff (and both my osteopath and rheumatologist seem utterly, in fact frighteningly dumfounded by such problems) Appointment is not for a month though .
I am really curious about why my right hand is cold, and not my left?
I will be a while before i am up to speed with most of you folks (give me a couple more incarnations) but i suppose it can't hurt to inquire here anyway
Dana