Wrist pain, weakness, atrophy, twitching

by joseph
(Madison, NC, USA)

My name is Joseph and i'm 24 years old. About a year ago i started getting a sharp pain in my left hand right above the wrist. it only hurt when i bent it at first. i was working out a lot and playing guitar so i assumed this was the cause of the pain. then it began to spread in my forearm and fingers.

I went to a doctor that said it seemed to be tendonitis. He put me on some meds to bring the swelling down and i stopped working out. It seemed to slow down a short period but came back pretty quick.

So then i quit playing guitar.

I started back at college around this time too. Badly enough the field i was going into was computers. The constant typing took it's toll and my fingers began to twitch constantly. they felt so weak that holding my fingers on the keyboard was almost impossible due to the unstable twitching. I had to drop out because i couldn't take it anymore.

My life became constant depression. I couldn't do anything with my left arm anymore and i started loosing muscle in my wrist, forearm, and hand. I had to quit stocking on the weekends at my job too. I saw plenty of doctors who had their various opinions on what they thought the problem was.

An orthopedic did an Xray which came back clean. He said it wasn't tendonitis but some neurological problem. He was concerned by the twitching and the atrophy.

I went to a couple of neurologist. One didn't see a serious problem and thought that the problem would go away over time with rest. He also wasn't as concerned about the atrophy. The pain wouldn't stop and got worse so i went to another neurologist who did extensive testing. He did blood tests, an EMG and a nerve conduction study.

All came back clear so he sent me for a brain and spine MRI which also came back clear. He concluded that i wasn't a nuero problem.

Finally i went back to my regular doctor a week ago and he thought i should take physical therapy since i've lost a lot of range in motion. He thinks it might still be a nuerological issue but after all the testing i don't see how.

I mentioned Vit D to him and he said there was no way that could be the problem. I insisted on the testing for it though. Still haven't gotten the results


Here is a list of the symptoms over the year:

-pain in wrist,hand,fingers, forearm
-muscle loss
-twitching in fingers.terrible twitching in my index and ring finger.
-twitching is worse when i stretch out my hand.
-a burning sensation at times in forearm.
-trouble extending my hand and fingers.
- a sort of crepitus feeling when i bend my wrist and fingers.
-when i spread out my fingers i feel retraction and they try to pull back into an almost balled fist type position.
-twitching sensation in my forearm occasionally.
-inability to bend wrist fully or turn correctly.

My questions are does this sound like a tendon issue to you at all?

Is there a possibility to completely fix it if it is some sort of chronic tendonitis. Even after a long period like this?

Could the physical therapy help with pain and help me get better functionality in my hand?

P.S i started taking the Vitamin D a week before the last doctor visit and I've noticed a lot less pain. almost none with the exceptions of a few days. could vitamin D be the answer to my problem?

I've had the pain come and go a few times before but it seemed to go quicker with the vitamin D.

I'd appreciated any further feedback and tips you could give.

thank you.



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Joshua Answers:


Hi Joseph.

You quit guitar? I hate that! But I get where you're coming from.

1. "I mentioned Vit D to him and he said there was no way that could be the problem."

Run away from that doctor and never look back (after you get your results).

What is the ng/ml number of your Vitamin D test?


2. After all the info you gathered, a doctor still said it will go away with time? Run away from that doctor also.


3. "Does this sound like a tendon issue to you at all?"

No. It sounds like your tendons are fine. But things obviously aren't functioning correctly.

I'm glad you insisted on the Vit D test. Right now I think you should focus on nutrition. The body can't function without nutrition.


4. Is there a possibility to completely fix it if it is some sort of chronic tendonitis. Even after a long period like this?

My first response to a question like that will always be 'Yes'.

Doctors don't have the training to be able to deal with somethign 'subtle' like you present, and they basically have no training in nutrition (and don't seem to care to learn).

That's great they think it might be a 'neurologic' problem. But those don't just show up out of the blue for no reason.

First things's first, do some therapeutic supplementation and see what happens. It's cheap and without any downside.


5. "Could the physical therapy help ...?"

Maybe but probably not. Especially if it's a nutritional insufficiency/deficiency cause.

If the body can't function for whatever reason, trying to make it function isn't going to fix that lack of ability to function.


6. My immediate suggestions:

A. Get the Reversing Wrist Tendonitis program

It describes the nutrition I would tell you to start with/do, as well as some manual self care for your forearms/wrist that you should do for a variety of reasons.

Chances are high adequate nutrition will go a long way towards at least lessening your symptoms. But it's basic groundwork that needs to get covered to start ruling some things out.

I can think of four nutrients off the top of my head (and that are in the program) that if you are insufficient/deficient in can cause one or more of the symptoms you described.




B. What was your Vit D level in ng/ml? If the doctor said it's 'fine' or 'low but ok', get the actual number and tell me what it is.





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