About RSI and numbness..

Hi Suisei, welcome to the TMS forum =)

I used to get severe wrist pain in both my wrists when using a computer, I also got pins and needles like sensations as well. Today I am about 95% pain-free in my wrists and have no more pins and needles despite working on computers for >8 hours a day.

What I found really helped me was to visit a TMS practitioner, who is also a licenced physiotherapist. They were able to tell me that the symptoms I was experiencing were caused by repressed emotions and stress, and ultimately could not damage or harm me. I know above you said your mum can't take you to the TMS doctor, but perhaps you could call them and take through what your experiencing? If it helps the TMS practitioner I saw told me she did not believe "classic physically caused RSI" actually existed. Every case of "RSI" she had ever seen turned out to be TMS.

I hope this helps and please don't hesitate to ask me any questions about my recovery or anything else, I'll try to help as best I can. You can get better =)

Calum

 

I'm really sorry to hear about your son. Has he played any sports? I know I can't engage in high impact exercises like hard core dancing ects due to my joints. I do have an eds support group but they usually stick to conventional medicine and not TMS which I understand. Just I hope my rsi is caused by tms. I know the pqin in my wrists have reduced. Sadly I am not seeing a therapist anymore and will have to get off medication for anxiety soon due to my insurance running out this year. I am turning 26 and havent done much with my life. I do feel like a failure and want to get better. Sadly I am 'treatment resistant ' with talking therapy . Also i have been playing my 3ds finally, even with pain I have been playing through it. So hopefully it is tms. I just feel happy just to be playing games again

Update: Called the Hospital and they said I hqve to be a patient at the hospital to even talk to a doctor. I am going to try and find a doctor online via skype if that's possible

 

Thank you also for your message Calum! I am really glad to hear that about not physical causes for EDS. It would make sense to have more repressed emotions with eds like that. I will keep doing what I love. I have started playing my 3DS again and finally playing games and I do get tingling and soreness in my thumbs so I think it is just the 'rsi' over use injuries acting up. I have been playing through the uncomfortableness and have really missed gaming.

 

I actually havent been taking breaks with my arms and hands since the nerve pain comes and goes and the sorrness in my thumbs are a dull pain . Maybe I should take breaks? I dont get exhuastion and can be mindful when I do body scans. I have bren journaling too. I really have gotten into my activity again but maybe I should break more at the beginning? :/

 

Suisei

My son did resume skiing and lives mostly as though this Marfans is negative. He gets his heart tested regularly as it has some issues with the connective tissue around it, but it never has worsened. If it worsens he gets a surgery which is life saving. I think he finds peace in that he can live without worry knowing they have an eye on that. He told me he will not live letting it rule him, but he's not reckless either.

I am glad to hear your arms have reduced in pain with the TMS treatment, I know my cubital tunnel has healed 90% in both arms since realizing it was TMS. It helps me immensely to read RSI's are considered all to be TMS.

As for your EDS, I am glad you are exploring a treatment many others aren't - and finding some relief. That is something to be proud of for yourself for sure. If you ever do see an TMS doc one day, I'd love to hear what they say about EDS and other Connectice Tissue Syndromes.

 

That's great that your son is doing what he loves I was also looking on the tms forum and there are other EDSers on the forum. They said that hyper mobility should not cause pain so I wonder if my finger pain is overuse as well. I guess a part of me doesn't wantcto give up on my body and I want to get things back to the way they were before.

 

"Hypermobility shouldn't cause pain"... I love that! And how many people live with hypermobility and experience no pain? TONS!

 

Exactly!

 

I've not been much of a gamer for a while, but I did game a fair bit in my youth and remember my mum telling me it would give me RSI and I blamed myself for the symptoms I was having. Of course once I figured out the symptoms were TMS I could recognise that what my mum said to me when I was younger would have sown the seed in my subconscious to give me wrist pain symptoms when the emotions in my unconscious mind came too near to surfacing in the conscious.

As part of my recovery I actually started playing games on my laptop and mobile to prove to myself that it couldn't harm me and my wrists were fine. It worked =)

 

Oh really? I am always bit of a worrier lol so maybe that just contributed to things. Also I have tingling and pain whrn just doing basic things so why not have fun while in pain. Even though it comes with nerve burning and achy thumb joints xD

I actually blamed myself really badly but them saying eds could cause rsi helped a bit but now I am glad I can try and do things again.

 

So another update. Thanks to my friend I am going to see the local TMS physician in Chattanooga. It is a long drive but I think it'll be worth it just I first have to go to his class that talks about his clinic and practices because people were walking out on him when they went to his first appointment. I dont really like that I wont get evaluated the first time but maybe I can talk to him some the next time.

 

@Suisei

I feel your pain. I used to splint my right arm while sleeping at night. I'd also wear a wrist splint to type while at work. I had what could only be described as a pinched nerve in my shoulder, that radiated down through my hand causing immeasurable pain and killing my fine motor function for a few weeks. I spent months getting where I was comfortable with the pain(never really got comfy). I used to worry about damaging nerves and stuff. I'd question if I'd be normal again. Like yourself, I couldn't game or even use my mouse but for a few minutes before excruciating pain shot through my hand.

The pain would always sit in my forearm extensor muscles and hurt when I'd type, or would radiate to my shoulder, all around the blade. I swore I had damaged like 8 different nerves between my cervical spine and elbow. I got fed up one day and decided to do jumping jacks before running just to loosen up. I was petrified to swing my arm above me head, but I did it anyways. Much to my surprise, nothing happened. There was a slight stretching feeling but that was all. I could probably chalk it up to lack of use.

Please don't get discouraged. Take baby steps. Your body and nerves are stronger than you think. It takes a crap ton of force to damage a nerve. Unless you're picking fights with Vikings or, well, playing for the Vikings, chances are your nerves are going to be fine.

Try to incorporate one tiny thing you think will hurt you every now and again; don't get crazy with it. I think you'll find nothing happens. You may be a little sore, but it will change with time. My big thing was throwing an object fast. I started with jumping jacks and arm circles, now I can throw without feeling like I threw my shoulder out.

By the way, Chattanooga is awesome sauce. Check out the pedestrian bridge or the aquarium while you're there.

 

I did not see a email alert for your post. I'm sorry. I'm in my late 20s and have been stuck in the house for very long watching my disabled brother. When I started to stay at home I did start to develop RSI injuries . I also didn't get much emotional support as a kid and when I did my OCD reassurance just kept demanding it more. I also had a lot of health anxieties as a kid and panic attacks at a young age. Still have this sadly since I usually think the worst. I did talk to someone on the forum with similar symptoms but not rsi that was causing this. They said something along the lines that EDS can make the autonomic nervous system more sensitive but our bodies are still strong besides being easily dislocated. I haven't had any joints dislocate on my upper body but my knees dislocated continuous at a younger age. I have a lot of osteoarthritis arthritis in my knees for my age but it doesn't cause any pain. Now I think I have rsi in my leg near my ankle since I have an inflamed tendon. I also still have numbness around the side of my wrists so I am not sure if that is because of tightness and blood flow. I get tightness and chronic numbness in both thumbs from overuse.I think I am also developing radical nerve tms. It will be a few months till I can check with a tms ortho doctor so right now I haven't been doing anything with my arms and thumbs. Been very stressful too since holidays are usually a happy time of year for me.At this point I am actually considering getting surgery. I'm not sure yet.

 

I rarely get pain but that is due to the tightness and constant numbness (loss of feeling) around my wrists ect. have you had this before as well? This has been a chronic symptom and I am afraid I either did nerve damage or just it isn't well documented on the forum.

 

One the strangest things I experienced with my rsi symptoms in full swing was my hands locking up like a pair of vice grips. It happened a few times. I had to use one hand to pry the fingers apart on the other. Hands were cold and white.

I was so confused. It was TMS though. Zero doubts these days.

 

That sounds really scary. I think that happens to me once awhile back. Have things calmed down some since then?

 

An update of sorts. I have constant numbness down to my pinky and ring finger from the elbow. It's worse in my left arm than my right. I think there may be a structural problem or pinched nerve since it's been like this for several weeks now. The nerve pain has been unbearable too when I bend my elbows or lock it straight. My muscle weakness is super bad and I am wondering if my ligament may be the issue. My left elbow hurts as well and me massaging the ulnar nerve causes more sensations. I can't see a tms doctor this week and will have to wait next month after I move out of state to MN. Should I go ahead and see a nurse practitioner to take a look at it. Maybe get an xray done before seeing a surgeon? I also have overuse on my thumb and wrist on either arm and radical nerve overuse now. I don't know if it's structural or not at this point. I did do some research into the cubital tunnel surgery and it's really extreme. Any thoughts ? Not sure if I should keep at the tms approach right now for my arms.

 

i’m still working through this~ so
this post is helpful. i must keep remembering to just stop worrying about weird sensations!