I went to the doctor today and he says I have carpal tunnel in both hands and need to wear these black things at night. They keep you from bending my hands at the wrist. I can't type with them on and they are uncomfortable. Do they really help?

Yes they do. Take some getting use to. I also did exersises give to me by physio and those really helped.

Yes, I've been wearing one for 2 months. You'll get where you can do just about anything with them on.

Yes they do! At first I wore mine all the time. Then I just wore them at night until my pain got better. I now use them at night when I start having difficulty during the day. Good luck.

Pam M
Ohio

I have recently heard two people who had tunnel carpal surgery that did not get a great result. One is in as much pain, if not more since her surgery and the other has numb hands. Her hands are so numb that she had to quit work. I think if the alternative to braces is surgery...I'd embrace the braces!

I wear them all the time, as I had surgery on one and then broke the wrist and got cp back. not going thru that again as it did not do what they said it would. charged an arm and a leg too. I find that using the wrist braces helps with not having as much pain.

I was diagnosed with severe carpal tunnel in one hand, moderate carpal tunnel in the other. A hand specialist told me that I needed surgery, but I wanted to try to correct the condition myself.

The brace my doctor's office gave me was worthless; the nurse didn't even know which way it went on! I got braces from Walmart that have a metal strip running up the palm. These were great, and I still have them. I wore the braces every night, and most of every day. I was able to type with them on. Pretty much the only time I didn't wear them was when I had to get my hands wet.

There were other things I did. For one, I changed my computer setup to be more ergonomically correct. I'm sure that a major cause of my carpal tunnel was the amount of time I spent typing at an ergonomically incorrect computer station.

I cut the amount of typing I did in half.

I also started taking citrus bioflavanoids twice a day.

It took about 6 months to get rid of the inflammation. At that point I switched to wearing the braces only at night. After another 6 months or so, I quit the braces entirely. Now I wear them at night only if I suspect some inflammation might be coming back. I never did have the surgery, and I'm fine now.

The braces are really important if you want to reverse the inflammation. They keep your wrist in a neutral position so the nerve is not being aggravated.

I tried, but I would take them off in my sleep.

Yes, they work.

I wore my braces all the time. I had surgery- both hands, but the braces helped a world before the surgery. I could type and do a lot of other things- I had mine for several months and you do get good at using your hands with them on.

After surgery, it took a year before I really felt my hands weren't clumsy- I think they need to do Physical Therapy to get the strength and dexterity back rather than just assuming it will come back on it's own. It won't. It wasn't until I really started weight lifting with the hand and forcing myself that I got full control back, ie, finding exercises on my own to do.

yes, they help. when i worked, i wore them at nite. kept me working for several yrs longer. i was told just nites would do the trick, and it did.

It helps depending on the severity of yur problem. I used them off and on for a number of years, but just recently had surgery on both hands--that really helps!

Yes, can't sleep w/o them anymore.

I wore them for a few years. They provided me with pain-free nights. They took a little getting used to but the benefits are well worth it! I don't wear mine anymore because I had carpel tunnel surgery done 11 years ago.

I did -- I wore the hard ones for about 2 years (mostly at night, but early on during the day as well). Then I got some softer ones and wear them when I start to hurt so it does not get bad.

Yes. Both wrists. & yes, exercises from P.T. Has been over 16 yrs.

I also use the braces from walmart and have a similar regimine when it comes to my carpal tunnel...I also take vitamin B6 which is supposed to help with the nerve aggravation....I know if I paint or hand quilt I need to wear the braces or pay for it later :)...No surgery for me, have used the braces for 20 years now and it seems to work!!!

I went to the MD about six months ago. I did mention the problems with my fingers. He looked me over and said I had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and I should get "cock-up" hand braces. They were very expensive around here, so I bought them on Amazon.com. I was very skeptical, but I do wear them and for me THEY WORK. The symptoms I had are not bothering me now.

I used them temporarily between the time of diagnosis and the time of surgery, and yes, they helped, but my CTS was so severe, nothing took away all the pain. I had my first surgery about 20 years ago, and that was followed up by the second one about two years later. I've had no problems at all since.

Absolutely they help. I had carpal tunnel in both wrists. My case was very severe so I needed to have surgery. I've had both hands done (one at a time) ...best thing I ever did.

I wear them on both hands every night, the kind with metal in them, if I try going without I wake up with hands all numb. Even with them on, I still get some numbness.

This seems to be an epidemic among crafters.

I have hard plastic braces that were custom made for me about 13 years ago. I only wear them when I start having pain, numbness and tingling in my hands. I will wear them every night for a week or two and then wear them every other night for another couple of weeks and then I can go without them for a few months before I have to repeat the cycle. The first night I wear them is rough and I usually end up taking them off halfway through the night, but each night gets easier. Better than surgery in my opinion.

I wore the braces at night for a few years, and they did help. I didn't wake up to numb and tingling arms and hands, anymore. It got so that I was having my hands "fall asleep" while knitting and sewing, and that's when I decided to have the surgery. I had the Right hand done, then waited 3 years and got the other one done. Best decision I ever made. I can knit, sew, and do data entry at work with no troubles. I know it does not work for everyone, but it sure helped me.

Also went to dr today, wearing braces on both wrists. Also told to get vitamin B-6. The feedback from everyone is encouraging, thank you for the question and all the positive responses.

I wear night time braces. Have helped CT, been warring them for many years. I will need surgery again eventually.

I just could not wear those braces. The neurologist told me the earlier I
have surgery the better. My mother waited too long for her and it didn't
make any difference. If braces don't work, get the surgery asap.
I'm so glad I had it done. I have learned not to overdo it. Not too much
typing, cutting, sewing, etc. Takes lots of breaks. Listen to your hands.
It doesn't matter how long it takes to finish a quilt at least I can still
enjoy doing what I like. I am definitely not in the quilt racing category. ;) :D

Stick it out and you will get used to them and they sure help the pain, I wore them for years , Finally gave in and had surgery wish I would have done it a long time ago.

yes the work

I too was diagnosed (by an orthopedic hand surgeon) with carpal tunnel. He ordered the wrist braces and they helped for a while. He then gave me cortisone shots in my right wrist that helped for about 3 mos. I did the injections for about a year and a 1/2. Being a surgeon, he wanted to do the surgery. I said no because of the fail rate. I was working for a pain management physician at the time. He did some ultrasounds on my wrists and right elbow and did find some impingement in my right wrist but the real problem was in my elbow! I had a nerve impingement in my elbow. He gave me a cortison shot that worked for about a month. The numbness came back. I noticed that if I was standing, I didn't have any numbness in my hands. I gave into the ortho surgeon and scheduled my surgery. As a nurse, I did some research and found that it could possibly be a neck problem. Went to a chiropractor, found a pinched nerve and arthritis in neck from a car accident 20 years ago. Cancelled surgery, had adjustments and treatments at the chiropractor for about 3 months and still do home stretching program and no further problems!! (knock on wood!)

Yep! wearing them for nerly 2 years now. I have carpel tunnel in both wrists, I couldn't sleep due to numbness and tingling. They made a world of difference. it did take some getting used to, since i have them on both hands but well worth it for me.

I had pregnancy induced CT of all the crazy things! I had custom molded braces to sleep in with NEON orange velcro straps. Those were so my husband could see them coming when I whacked him in the night. What? he couldn't see them because he was sleeping? Not my problem - I tried to warn him!!!

:lol:

Sometimes I wear my brace during the day, depending on the activity. Pesky nuisance, but my hand feels better. Good luck learning to wear yours. piecefully, the old one

I wear them from time to time and I can type with them on as well as crochet. I wear them most of the time when I am crocheting

I was wearing the braces when I was still working (retired). Now I only wear them when I have been doing too much lifting. They do help, but here's a hint for other times when you need some support. I found soft braces in the sporting goods section of Walmart. They are usually used by bow hunters, but are good to help with support when you do need to bend your wrists some. I like these better then the ones in pharmancy. I suggest buying one and trying it out to see if the brand is OK for you. The ones I got were black on the outside and red on the inside. None of the braces are a good fashion statement, but if they save you pain, who cares how they look!

I wore the braces for awhile and they didn't help me that much my hands and arms were staying knumb most of the time. So I had the surgery on both of mine in 2001-2002 and haven't had any problems since it's great.

I wear one on each hand and so far the pain has lessoned. I have a tendency to curl my hands under my chin at night then i wake up in pain so the braces keep me from doing that.....although Iam not pain free but it has helped alot.
Good luck

hmmm wondering where you purchased the bioflavanoids at ? I had the laser surgery(4 years ago)-tried to golf and couldn't so gave that up. Sewing is okay as long as I do such in spurts..I wear the wrist guards at night but have the numb feeling every once in a while when I forget to throw them on( I know silly me !)

Yes they do and you can learn to use your hands with these one. I played the piano with one on my right arm. I had the carpel tunnel fixed but I still sleet with them some because of arthritis.

Welcome to the club girl. I have had carpal tunnel, mostly in my right hand for over 30 years because I was a secretary and did a lot of typing, originally on electric typewriters, if any of you are old enough to remember those, and I won't go into the manual typewriters that I learned to type on. The computer keyboard made it a little easier, however, by wearing the hand brace at night it keeps your wrist supported so that you won't torque it during the night by getting into not so great for you positions. They can be a little problematic while wearing them during the day - I recommend getting elastic Hand-Eeze, it is similar to a glove in that it looks like a glove without fingers but covers the fingers just before the hand, covers the hand and up the wrist and arm for a few inches. You can find these in Nancy's Notions and also some of those catalogs you get in the mail, however, I've just had a brain cramp and can't remember the names of the catalogs. I'm pretty sure I got my last pair at Nancy's Notions, and when my wrist is really bad, I wear it during the day and it allows quite a good range of motion while supporting the wrist. I know this is a long reply, but these are things I have done over the last 30 years which have helped, not only at work, but for sewing and quilting as well, especially quilting. Good luck, but by using these supports the pain is manageable and they help with day-to-day activities. Hope you are feeling better soon. You're not alone, as millions of people suffer from carpal tunnel because of repetitive motions.

I love the way you think girl. A woman after my own heart. lol You try to warn them, but _______. Have a great day.