Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

[darrsi]

Can't you get aftermarket levers with an adjustable span?

The OEM clutch on my FZ6 was designed for someone with bigger hands than mine, but after buying a replacement set from eBay it was much easier.

As mentioned with me it's not the size of my hands that's the issue, it's nerve damage pain that's the problem.
It will ease up with time like it already has from when I first got back on the bike.
Gotta remember too that, injuries aside, I hadn't used the bike for nearly 18 months, and had also lost strength in my hand so every time I use the levers it's a repetitive exercise that helps me get my strength back to the way it was.
My short levers do have 6 settings to choose from, and I use them on #2 setting, as #1 setting doesn't work well enough for me.

[fazersharp]

But on the plus side a Neurologist read my injury report and said she deal's with people with lesser injuries than i had who have never even made it back to work, so whatever i'm doing i need to carry on because i'm doing it right!

The most definitely has healing properties. 

As for the clutch, try clutch-less changing. It works a treat on the FZS600 but only going up the box as its not that good going down. Slight pressure under the gear leaver then a quick off and on the throttle and it into slips into the next gear smoothly once you get the hang of it. Not so good in slow heavy traffic either, works best when making progress.

[agricola]

Im struggling. Not been on the bike for a couple of months now due to the hands. several fingers locking up, struggling to grip anything, no prospect of any treatment until June July time, apart from paying for private treatment again. Ive an open appointment but it makes no difference to waitin times. Ive aslo now got a crocked knee due to worn cartilage. However, Im still alive.

[robbo]

Im struggling. Not been on the bike for a couple of months now due to the hands. several fingers locking up, struggling to grip anything, no prospect of any treatment until June July time, apart from paying for private treatment again. Ive an open appointment but it makes no difference to waitin times. Ive aslo now got a crocked knee due to worn cartilage. However, Im still alive.

Totally feel for you Agricola. Getting a few miles on our body clocks is certainly a bitch. Wear and tear from past sports start to catch up, and coupled with winter weather fuels a depressed outlook. Currently coughing my way through the “100 day cough” that seems to be doing the rounds. Only got another 30 days to go. Hopefully when spring arrives we’ll all feel a bit better.
 Riding the bike regularly is a work out in itself, although we aren’t aware of it at the time. Due to a few treatments since last May, my biking time has been rather limited, and a clutch action that used to be fine now tends to feel on the heavy side, which in reality it isn’t. I think I’ll take a leaf from Fazer scotty’s book, and try fitting a clutch arm from an MT07, in a search for a lighter “pull”.
Chin up matey.

[agricola]

I remember when I first went to the clinic with the hands, the consultant looked at them, hen injected the cortisone there and then. That was the case for the first four or five treatments., perhaps three times year. Now the clinics are only on twice a year., and it all has to be done under live x ray vision, with a room full of various medics. When I've had to go private, I just rock up at the appointed time, consultant looks at the hands, injects and Im off home £300 lighter, all done in ten minutes.

I miss the old days. GPs don't do anything now at Doctors. I can remember as a kid being stitched up twice by the doc, no anesthetics, having fluid drawn out of bad knees, cortisone stuck in etc. These days, all they do is refer you on to a waiting for treatment elsewhere.

[robbo]

If you’re lucky enough to get an appointment they just seem to mug you off with a prescription as soon as possible. If anti biotics don’t work, then you’re on your own. Yep, totally agree, oh for the old days when docs actually did stuff………..rant over

[agricola]

Oh no, I'm on one now.

Forgot to say the private consultant works at the same NHS clinic for the hands, so he's got a side hustle, but which is it? Going back now, my Gp came out one night in the 80s when I collapsed after a bad reaction to an antibiotic. I just managed to take the latch off the front door before passing out. I reckon he saved my life.

Over the decades, it seems to me that certain groups within the NHS have engineered positions of some power over government and us peasants, GPs/consultants etc, and now the junior doctors, who no doubt will be toddling of to side hustles too in the future. Light years away from my early experiences of the NHS which has saved my life on two previous occasions. The first was as a five year old, spending several weeks in an isolation hospital, followed by several more recovering in a general hospital.

Where did it all go wrong?

[fazerscotty]

"Where did it all go wrong?"

I'm certain that someone will be along to set you straight on that.

I'm not sure if having the operation has made my hands any better - my finger joints certainly ache more, which, when your still on the tools, working in cold conditions, can be a tad depressing.

[robbo]

I expect you have considered the work gloves aimed at Raynaud’s disease sufferers. Just a thought.

[agricola]

Finally got to see a consultant this last week, discussed the options available to me, joint replacements are off the agenda as not particularly successful, further injections are in the long grass now too as the effects lessen every time.. A new one was thrown in this time that I'd not heard of or read of before. Joint Denervation. Anyone had it done? Any advice? I'm sorely tempted to have it, she said that the joints feel like they want to grasp/grip/bend etc but it's the pain that's preventing me pushing it. The nerves in the joints are surgically severed and restore something like full mobility but without the pain.

Not ridden now since late November last year.

[maddog04]

been told I have CTS in both hands and a trapped nerve in my left elbow. Operated on my right hand but hasn't made much difference so I'm loathe to have the the opposite side done. Rode 200m around the Lakes earlier this week and both wrists are aching like mad.
ST1300 with bar raisers

[darrsi]

been told I have CTS in both hands and a trapped nerve in my left elbow. Operated on my right hand but hasn't made much difference so I'm loathe to have the the opposite side done. Rode 200m around the Lakes earlier this week and both wrists are aching like mad.
ST1300 with bar raisers

That sounds pretty damn awful fella, sorry to hear that. I still have compression nerve damage in my left hand from my "incident" which i'm getting used to and learning to live with because i keep reminding myself that i could've been MUCH worse so just having to accept it now. I'm on nerve pain meds for that and my leg too, but they have their own side effects as well like feeling a tad sleepy as soon as i sit down, but in fairness they've also given me a decent nights kip throughout all the hot weather we've just been through so i'm at least thankful for that result.

I had a Carpal Tunnel op years ago on my right hand which worked okay until a few years down the line when i started getting pain again more towards the base of my thumb near the wrist.
I saw a surgeon about it and he knew straight away it was an issue that is kind of similar to Carpal Tunnel but in a slightly different area.
Same type of op though as the CT, where they snip open what looks like an elastic band of muscle that holds everything in place, a bit like a cable tie i s'pose.
The CT one is in the wrist area as you know, and the scar on my wrist for this one is about 30mm away from the CT scar on the side of my wrist, instead of the palm.

Was just gonna suggest looking into it as well, it's called "De Quervain's Tenosynivitis"  

It caused me thumb and wrist pain as well but once that band was cut again it's been fine ever since. I'm not saying you have this same problem, but it certainly won't hurt you looking it up for info reasons.

On that note as well, a colleague of mine had a wrist injury years back and he started suffering Gout on his wrist. He doesn't even get it anywhere else, but it was bad enough for the GP to put him on long term Gout medicine to prevent the pain and keep it at bay. Gout is a form of Arthritis that you either get or you don't, and can also be a genetic illness inherited from parents. I've had it on & off for 30+ years but i know all the early signs of getting it plus all the tricks of stopping it from happening. People think Gout is all about the booze, but it really isn't at all.
Raw onions set me off, a heavy night on the booze could trigger it but could be fixed with plenty of water, but when i was in hospital (in a bit of a bad way though) Tuna sandwiches caused Gout for 7 weeks after i left, and i also remember another time when Liver Pate sandwiches did a similar thing too!! And one thing a lot of people don't know about, and nor did i until i found out the hard way, is that a low dose of Aspirin actually stops the kidneys from getting rid of Uric Acid. So when you think you're taking Aspirin to help with the pain what you don't realise is that your body keeps topping up with Uric Acid inside until like me you wake up with a knee the size of a football (for no obvious reason at all) and i couldn't even put my foot on the floor so even a trip to the GP was a major problem. I fortunately did some research and figured out what was going on then i could deal with a Gout flare up accordingly, albeit in an area that i'd not suffered it before.

These were all personal things for me but are also things you can look into to broaden the spectrum for possible causes of your wrist pain. 
You never know, but something might be helpful?

[maddog04]

been told I have CTS in both hands and a trapped nerve in my left elbow. Operated on my right hand but hasn't made much difference so I'm loathe to have the the opposite side done. Rode 200m around the Lakes earlier this week and both wrists are aching like mad.
ST1300 with bar raisers

That sounds pretty damn awful fella, sorry to hear that. I still have compression nerve damage in my left hand from my "incident" which i'm getting used to and learning to live with because i keep reminding myself that i could've been MUCH worse so just having to accept it now. I'm on nerve pain meds for that and my leg too, but they have their own side effects as well like feeling a tad sleepy as soon as i sit down, but in fairness they've also given me a decent nights kip throughout all the hot weather we've just been through so i'm at least thankful for that result.

I had a Carpal Tunnel op years ago on my right hand which worked okay until a few years down the line when i started getting pain again more towards the base of my thumb near the wrist.
I saw a surgeon about it and he knew straight away it was an issue that is kind of similar to Carpal Tunnel but in a slightly different area.
Same type of op though as the CT, where they snip open what looks like an elastic band of muscle that holds everything in place, a bit like a cable tie i s'pose.
The CT one is in the wrist area as you know, and the scar on my wrist for this one is about 30mm away from the CT scar on the side of my wrist, instead of the palm.

Was just gonna suggest looking into it as well, it's called "De Quervain's Tenosynivitis"  

It caused me thumb and wrist pain as well but once that band was cut again it's been fine ever since. I'm not saying you have this same problem, but it certainly won't hurt you looking it up for info reasons.

On that note as well, a colleague of mine had a wrist injury years back and he started suffering Gout on his wrist. He doesn't even get it anywhere else, but it was bad enough for the GP to put him on long term Gout medicine to prevent the pain and keep it at bay. Gout is a form of Arthritis that you either get or you don't, and can also be a genetic illness inherited from parents. I've had it on & off for 30+ years but i know all the early signs of getting it plus all the tricks of stopping it from happening. People think Gout is all about the booze, but it really isn't at all.
Raw onions set me off, a heavy night on the booze could trigger it but could be fixed with plenty of water, but when i was in hospital (in a bit of a bad way though) Tuna sandwiches caused Gout for 7 weeks after i left, and i also remember another time when Liver Pate sandwiches did a similar thing too!! And one thing a lot of people don't know about, and nor did i until i found out the hard way, is that a low dose of Aspirin actually stops the kidneys from getting rid of Uric Acid. So when you think you're taking Aspirin to help with the pain what you don't realise is that your body keeps topping up with Uric Acid inside until like me you wake up with a knee the size of a football (for no obvious reason at all) and i couldn't even put my foot on the floor so even a trip to the GP was a major problem. I fortunately did some research and figured out what was going on then i could deal with a Gout flare up accordingly, albeit in an area that i'd not suffered it before.

These were all personal things for me but are also things you can look into to broaden the spectrum for possible causes of your wrist pain. 
You never know, but something might be helpful?

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Thanks for the reply mate, some interesting things to ponder over and I'll look into them. You sound worse off than me though so I feel your pain. I hope things get better for you and you can get back to enjoying your riding

[darrsi]

[quote pid="982039" dateline="1787047978"]

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Thanks for the reply mate, some interesting things to ponder over and I'll look into them. You sound worse off than me though so I feel your pain. I hope things get better for you and you can get back to enjoying your riding
[/quote]


I've been back on the bike for quite a while now, so at least got my independence back rather than relying on people to give me lifts to and from work.
It's mainly my left hand that's still a nuisance due to pain, but that also might never go away so i just have to put up with it.
I was having issues using the clutch so much due to constant road works and general traffic when commuting. I found myself constantly adjusting the clutch at both ends but it just played havoc with my hand for ages.
So I bought an OEM clutch cable a few weeks ago just to try anything basically.
After joining the new one to the old one and pulling it into place I noticed my older one had a proper dent in the cable, about half way hidden away near the frame under the tank? Now, i put that on before and there was nothing obvious at all as to why that dent was there, and I'm gonna hazard a guess that something has been dropped onto it, most likely when my bike shop had the whole engine stripped down just before my incident. Whatever made that dent was very heavy but I'll never know now?
The OEM cable has made a pleasant change, feels much better to use, plus I also have the short levers fitted again which I'm getting used to and prefer.
Kinda hoped the warmer climate might help my hand heal in one way or another because over last winter I really felt it when it was extremely cold.
I've had some time off recently too, both times in the very warm weather, and I started doing 4 mile daily walks which has been good for blood circulation in my hand and presumably a good cardio workout too. It's not something I would do normally but with the hot weather I really started enjoying myself once I got the ear buds going with some music to walk along to.

On thing I did learn after I'd already received my OEM clutch cable, is that there are much better ones out there that have improved inner and outer materials used plus they are half the price of the OEM one.
So instead of steel cable, they upped it to stainless steel, and instead of nylon casing they use teflon which makes them stronger, easier to slide inside and won't rust.
I'm not saying OEM are bad, but the newer types have improved everything and are much cheaper.
I've decided to buy a VENHILL clutch cable next time, although that could be quite a while away yet, and they cost about £30, compared to at least £55+ for an OEM one.

[darrsi]

   

[quote pid="982039" dateline="1787047978"]

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[/quote]

This what i found by chance after removing the older clutch cable. It was hidden just above the engine by the frame near the tank, but after looking where it would've been sitting, not even touching anything, i came to the conclusion it wasn't damaged while on the bike in its static position. I thought it may be heat damage at first but it isn't, it's definitely taken a heavy clout somehow?