17-year-old with wrist, hand, finger, and forearm pain at different times in both arms

by James
(Troy, Michigan)

The first time I started getting pain in this area was when I was 12 or 13. It was the summer, and I spent most of my days playing online computer games. Most of the school year was spent playing this way also. It was just pain in the wrist at the time, and it went away after wearing braces and rest. also, I was playing lots of bass guitar, but this never caused pain.

the next few years were spent with much time playing video games, computer games, bass guitar, and guitar. mostly pain-free.

The next instance was December 2008. I was 15. I was spending my winter break mostly on computer games. Pain came back, but it went down with rest. the next few months I had a little pain when I played too much. I was playing bass in a band that practiced often and played shows, but this still didn't hurt when I played bass. I was playing guitar on the side.

Then started the worst episode, which lasts to this day.

It was June of 2009. I spent the first few days of summer almost exclusively on the computer. I began to get the worst pain in the wrist that I had ever felt. It was sharp, on the bottom, on the sides. I had a pain all day amplified by everything, even everyday tasks. All I could do was sit in bed. We went to the doctors, an orthopedic surgeon, who gave me Celebrex for two weeks.

halfway into the course, the pain in my wrists was reduced and moved into other spots. I started getting it on the bottom of the wrist, the top of the forearm near the elbows, the fingers. my hands and arms felt heavy even at rest. everything was. I wasn't fully at rest, and the Celebrex only enabled me to try the computer again.

After a month and a half of taking more medicine and playing Xbox until that started to give me pain, the doctor gave me another anti-inflammatory drug which just masked it.

School started up, and writing caused me pain. the sharpest pains in the wrists were mostly gone, but I had pain everywhere else in the fingers and forearms. my left pinky finger would twitch on its own. I also had pain in my palms and the joints of the fingers. the worst aches would come from my forearms on top near the elbows.

I started using the computer with my feet, which aggravated them. I was limping and had ankle pain for a while.

We went to a rheumatologist who tested me for JRA, which I didn't have. We got an MRI without contrast which didn't show anything. we tested for carpal tunnel, which I also didn't have. I went to occupational therapy for two months, and the exercises brought more pain back in the wrists. my therapist suggested icing, which I still do to this day, and it has helped reduce pain.

she also helped me fix my posture, which was pretty bad until then. One doctor thought I had scoliosis, but I didn't. We also tested for vitamin D deficiency, which I also didn't have.

The therapist made custom splints that I have been wearing at night. icing really helped.

meanwhile, I was trying to get as much rest as possible aside from school. I pretty much did nothing, no instruments, no video games, no computer. I was taking 4 to 6 ibuprofen pills a day until March of this year. I was able to ignore pain. the pain was dull.

In late December, I began playing bass again. I wouldn't do it everyday. I was doing super technical stuff, and I was better than I ever been, ironically. Pain wasn't there while I was playing. Ibuprofen and icing masked the pain until March, when ACT testing in school brought back more pain. I stopped taking ibuprofen. Throughout school, my right hand was the worst, since I am right handed.

Until late April, I kept from other activities with my hands. I was no longer taking ibuprofen. I started playing guitar, not bass, again, which I had to stop because picking caused wrist pain. I would always get the worst pain hours after or the next day.

School ended on June 21, and I have been trying to get rest. I wore custom splints built by the therapist for the first few days, but they brought back a lot of pain. I have had more pain this month, mostly dull pain in the hands and fingers. I had stopped taking vitamins. This week I've been having more pain in the palms, fingers, and forearms. common daily stuff has been aggravating my arms more.

I have started ice dipping yesterday, and just finished my 10 today. I have noticed more pain, maybe because of the massages. I have noticed hotspots in my palms and the underside of my right elbow/forearm.

So that whole episode has been going on for a year and a month. I'm using a voice program to type. I haven't even touched a keyboard since August 2009.

Also, I have had a significant growth spurt within the last couple years. I was taking a steroidal allergy spray that I began before that June episode, and some obscure mentions of pain in the extremities as side effects maybe stop taking it. I stopped in May, and I have noticed less ankle pain. Could be a coincidence.

Do I have tendonitis? Doctors have no idea what is going on. I haven't seen one since October.

I want this to end. I'm really scared of bringing this back with activities. I'm really scared of playing an instrument again. I'm scared that I have permanently messed up my hands.

Thank you.



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Joshua Answers:

Speaking bluntly here....good, you should be scared.

If you don't get your body healthy again.....

And yes, you absolutely have a Tendonitis dynamic.

See: What Is Tendonitis?



1. I find it incredibly hard to believe that a cave dweller like yourself has adequate Vitamin D levels. What was the number/level?


2. Did you get my Reversing Wrist Tendonitis ebook or the Guitar Tendonitis one?

If not, please do. That will explain a lot and give us a place to work from.


3. In general, it's safe to say your are magnesium, protein, Vitamin B6 (Inflammation Causes Vitamin B6 Deficiency) insufficient/deficient. I bet you a dollar you're short Vit D also. And it can't hurt to get a bunch of Vit C, Melatonin, and some others in you.

You started young and have thousands of hours of intensive repetitive hand motion, and poor nutrition, under your belt. And a growth spurt requires even more nutrition.

My point is, you'll need to do some physical tissue work as well as some chemistry nutrition work to get your body out of pain and back on track.



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Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com