Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

[Bonebrake]

Have you or anyone you know that weight trains underwent carpal tunnel surgery? I would like to know how long your post-op recovery time was and how quickly you returned to the weights and reps you were doing prior to surgery.

Here is my story:

In January 2007 I began to experience severe carpal tunnel syndrome and it lasted into February. I had complete "pins and needles" numbness in my thumb, index, middle, and lateral half of my ring finger in both hands. I began osteopathic manipulative treatments, stretched religiously, and reduced my training frequency and volume a great deal. I assume I came down with the syndrome due to a genetic predisposition and overtraining; my mother had carpal tunnel syndrome and on my last bulk I trained three hours a day and six days a week.

In March of 2007 the symptoms let up somewhat, but I still would have an exacerbation of symptoms with any kind of fine motor activity like eating or writing and with the vibrations in the steering wheel from driving. It has progressively become more sensitive to fine motor activity and I began to show atrophy of my thenar eminence (thumb muscle) in both hands in early May which is a sign of severe carpal tunnel syndrome and pain spikes in my wrist, hand and forearm have begun to occur randomly.

Today, my doctor recommended that I find a good hand surgeon. I have read of other serious weightlifters who have encountered this same problem: the most well known of which would be Lou Ferrigno and Bev Francis. I have gained over an inch in the circumference of my forearms in the past year since I have greatly increased my training frequency, volume, and intensity and the doctors I have spoken to believe the hypertrophy of my forearm musculature occurred at a rate too fast for the carpal tunnel fascia, tendons, and median nerve to adjust appropriately.