I am wondering if physical therapy might help. I had a repetitive stress injury several years ago from overuse of the computer and in addition to anti-inflammatories for a few weeks, the doctor prescribed physical therapy. They used head, ice, ultrasound and massage to get the area less inflamed and stiff, and then over time taught me some therapeutic exercises to use in that area. It was very successful for me and probably took between 8 to 12 weeks before I started to feel real, and lasting, relief. You might ask your doctor if physical therapy would be a good option for you, especially since it is holistic.
The fact that you have pain in your finger, your wrist and sometimes your elbow makes me think that yes, you are dealing with something more like repetitive stress or carpal tunnel than arthritis, simply because that's how my pain traveled. Somehow, you need to get the inflammation in that area down.
Here's a factsheet about various types of repetitive stress injuries (it's a pdf so it moves kind of slowly):
Inflammation, of course, is involved in arthritis. So many of these conditions are interrelated and overlapping that I imagine that's why they are difficult to diagnose. Has anyone explored the possibility of arthritis with you?
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Hi, Rlyons,
I am wondering if physical therapy might help. I had a repetitive stress injury several years ago from overuse of the computer and in addition to anti-inflammatories for a few weeks, the doctor prescribed physical therapy. They used head, ice, ultrasound and massage to get the area less inflamed and stiff, and then over time taught me some therapeutic exercises to use in that area. It was very successful for me and probably took between 8 to 12 weeks before I started to feel real, and lasting, relief. You might ask your doctor if physical therapy would be a good option for you, especially since it is holistic.
The fact that you have pain in your finger, your wrist and sometimes your elbow makes me think that yes, you are dealing with something more like repetitive stress or carpal tunnel than arthritis, simply because that's how my pain traveled. Somehow, you need to get the inflammation in that area down.
Here's a factsheet about various types of repetitive stress injuries (it's a pdf so it moves kind of slowly):
http://www.dc37.net/about/graphics/factsheetspdf/repstress.pdf
Has anyone suggested that you might have tendinitis?
This is the Arthritis Society's page, which includes information on RSIs and tendinitis:
http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/repetitive%20stress%20injury/default.asp?s=1&province=ab
Inflammation, of course, is involved in arthritis. So many of these conditions are interrelated and overlapping that I imagine that's why they are difficult to diagnose. Has anyone explored the possibility of arthritis with you?
August 25, 2009 - 8:38amThis Comment
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