Re hand problems ... and over-exercise

[Guest guest]

On Mon, 24 Apr 2000, Joan wrote....

>Subject: Re: hand problems

>I have pain, tingling, numbness and all kinds of stuff in my hands.

>I find running hot water over them helps, also wearing isotoner

>gloves, and moving them often such as squeezing a rubber ball or

>silly putty, and playing the piano.

Hi all, I'm new on this list - I'm an Australian male aged 54 with CMT type

2A, no voluntary muscle control in lower legs or feet since birth, and

slightly weaker-than-normal hands but no other symptoms/problems until last

few months.

Purpose of this posting is to flag a possibility which might or might affect

some other CMTers...!!!

Six months ago, I retired and started doing some serious practising on my

accordion. I had been playing it in a small way for the previous 2 years -

ie for 20 minutes or so, about three times a week. So I started practising

about 90 mins a day, 5 days a week.... It didn't seem unwise because I had

no idea that CMT exposed me to risks of any damage, I played many sports for

hours as a younger person and had no problems then. And, after all,

professional musicians can practice for 6 hours or more every day

Gradually started to get aching (or could describe as very mild tingling) in

hands (not when playing but at other times of day and night). But could

feel - and even see - my fingers and forearms becoming stronger, so thought

that maybe this aching was just muscle stiffness as the finger exercises in

my music bookls became more complicated

However, I became more and more concerned, so I started researching CMT and

and other peripheral neuropathies on the web, in case the aching could be

related to my CMT.

I have found some scientific/medical research papers discussing possible

risks of damage (for some neuropathies) from over-exercise (can provide

URL's if people are interested)

So I gave up playing the instrument 4 weeks ago to avoid risks and am

waiting to see if aches will go away. They do seem to have diminished a

bit. Outcome is still in doubt, and I am a bit worried that my hands will

never be the same (ie ache-free) again... only time will tell.

Maybe this sort of problem could not arise from lengthy practising of the

piano.... prior to retirement for many years I spent all day working on my

PC in an office, often typing for several hours a day and had no problems.

And I can walk for an hour several days a week without ill-effect. An

accordion is a heavy instrument, even when played while sitting down as I

did, and moving the bellows in and out imposes wrist and hand strains which

would not arise on the piano. But the aches do seem to come from the backs

of the hands - as from stiffening of the muscles or tendons that are used to

raise/pull straight the fingers - ie from the extending muscles

Maybe the exercise has only been a minor trigger, and the symptoms are

really more of an age-related progression of CMT.

But the possible moral is.... EXCESSIVE exercising of extremities might be a

risk for those CMTers who are lucky enough, like me, to have the option of

doing such a thing.

Cheers from Sydney, which will fill your screens later this year....

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[Guest guest]

In a recent message, I said...

> I have found some scientific/medical research papers discussing

possible

> risks of damage (for some neuropathies) from over-exercise (can

provide

> URL's if people are interested)

>

Here's some of them...

Note that these days CMT is sometimes called HMSN (hereditary motor

sensory neuropathy), and the acronym NMDs seems to mean

neuromuscular diseases

http://mdausa.org/research/carter.html

http://disability.ucdavis.edu/RRTC/Conference2001/strengthening.htm

http://medpmr.ucdavis.edu/RRTC/Research_Reports/Reports/inserthmsn.htm

l

(NB: if when you click on this 3rd URL you get a msg that the page

can't be found, please check that the URL shown has not been cut

short by the linelength of this message.... this 3rd URL should end

in " .html " (NOT " htm " ) - if necessary, add the final " l " to your

browser URL

and

http://members.medinex.com/members/d/g/o/dgosling/rehab.html

If anyone know of other pages specifically dealing with exercise

and/or over-exercise and CMT or NMDs, please share them as I am v

interested in this subject.

(living in the beautiful city of SYDNEY)

______________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

CMTUS (AT) e skriver:

>

>http://mdausa.org/research/carter.html

>

>http://disability.ucdavis.edu/RRTC/Conference2001/strengthening.htm

>

>http://medpmr.ucdavis.edu/RRTC/Research_Reports/Reports/inserthmsn.htm

>l

>

>http://members.medinex.com/members/d/g/o/dgosling/rehab.html

>

>If anyone know of other pages specifically dealing with exercise

>and/or over-exercise and CMT or NMDs, please share them as I am v

>interested in this subject.

>

> (living in the beautiful city of SYDNEY)

Interesting sites, thank you.

And I can´t stop thinking about what a great list this CMTUS is connecting

people all over the word.

Many of my friends seems really jealous when I talk about my contact with

people from the whole word (and a woman I came in contact with through

this list has sent me very delicious peanuts from Virginia). One example

how CMT also can bring good things to you life.

Rose from the other side of the planet Earth (Sweden)

>

[Guest guest]

CMTUS (AT) e skriver:

>

>http://mdausa.org/research/carter.html

>

>http://disability.ucdavis.edu/RRTC/Conference2001/strengthening.htm

>

>http://medpmr.ucdavis.edu/RRTC/Research_Reports/Reports/inserthmsn.htm

>l

>

>http://members.medinex.com/members/d/g/o/dgosling/rehab.html

>

>If anyone know of other pages specifically dealing with exercise

>and/or over-exercise and CMT or NMDs, please share them as I am v

>interested in this subject.

>

> (living in the beautiful city of SYDNEY)

Interesting sites, thank you.

And I can´t stop thinking about what a great list this CMTUS is connecting

people all over the word.

Many of my friends seems really jealous when I talk about my contact with

people from the whole word (and a woman I came in contact with through

this list has sent me very delicious peanuts from Virginia). One example

how CMT also can bring good things to you life.

Rose from the other side of the planet Earth (Sweden)

>