Tool use & nerve damage

[Col. Batguano]

This is a new topic I believe. A number of years ago when I ws building a cedar strip canoe I used a random orbital sander for hours on end, days at a time. The constant vibration deadened the nerves in my hand. The feeling came back but it took about a month. In the olden days with chain saws it was common, and a disease or more properly, a condition called "White Finger".

Now, when handling the hand tools all day (files, scrapers, gouges) I'm noticing a deadening of some of the nerves in my finger tips. It's not just the callouses that develop to deaden feeling.

Has anyone else ever experiences this as a direct result of their building / tool handling?

 

[mooman76]

I have on a few occasions. I used to be more stubborn when I was younger as far as not wanting to stop or take breaks when working on something. I was trimming some RBs with side cutters and thought I would tuff it out and get it done in one session. Lost feeling in a couple fingers for about a week. Not totally but a tingling that didn't go away right away. I find as I get older the healing process takes allot longer so more breaks and less working for long periods of time.

I know mechanics get it from all the impact tools they have to use these days. They have special gloves to wear to help prevent this. I don't know how well they work but it's something.

 

[eggwelder]

anyone who does constant work with their hands, secretaries, cooks, mechanics, carpenters, you name it, is susceptible to things like that going on in their hands. i personally think its from improper techniques that we pick up or are even taught during trades training.
i`m sure there will be someone with all the medical terms for this chiming in.
it`s what is going to keep physiotherapists in business for the next long while.
i get lots of numbness in my hands using hand tools. i try to change how i hold tools to alleviate that, but old habits die hard

 

[don hepler]

Yeh........It's called Old Age :bow:

No seriously, I get it sometimes after running a weed eater.

I worked for a company, that was big into ergonomic friendly working conditions. They used tables and desks, that could be raised or lowered and had people switch off a job, after a few hours. Years and years of repetitive motion, is not good. I really don't know about short term. But..I'm guessing aging doesn't help the situation.

 

[Major Dorman]

It's probably carpal tunnel syndrome. It's caused by repetitive motion with the hands.

 

[nhmoose]

Diabetes will do this also. Was the first symptom I had

 

[jamieorr]

10 years ago I had something similar after covering 90 miles by boat, mostly rowing. The ends of my fingers lost feeling, with occasional pins and needles (I forget the exact details.) The specialist said it was carpal tunnel and if I stopped rowing for a while it would probably clear up. I did, and it did, I can row again now but I don't push it hard anymore.

 

[Rifleman1776]

We have a large wood carving club in my town. I used to belong but do little carving anymore. Among the carvers who like to do small items they use push, or palm, chisels designed to be cupped in the hand for control. Many of these guys have nerve damage and cannot feel much of anything anymore. When I carve now I use my palm chisels as little as possible and rest frequently or use regular long handled tools. I wonder how our talented rifle builders do their carving and with what tools.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I have that too, from tool use and 25-years actively playing percussion instruments. All muscle groups have the flexor muscle - like bulging you bicep, mostly used to ”˜pull’ or to grasp something. The often over-looked muscles are the opposite motion, or extensor muscles, like tricep extensions, or a ”˜push/spread’ motion.

What helps me is to put a light elastic band across the end of my finger tips and slowly spread and stretch them out, holding the stretch. Work up slow in resistance and repetitions.

There is also a physical therapy device called a ”˜cat’s paw’ that is essentislly an old rubber computer mouse pad with holes in it, like Swiss cheese or like a bowling ball. Insert fingers and stretch ... to the tune of a $30 medical device.

Try it!

 

[coloradoclyde]

Yes!

https://www.hsl.gov.uk/what-we-do/noise-vibration

 

[chawbeef]

A topic I can relate to. (in a way) A combination of sports injuries and millwright work led to operations on both of my elbows. After which I experience an uncontrolable tremor in my right hand at times when I try to do something that takes dexterity. Stick welding, getting a screw driver to line up with a screw, signing my name and using a spoon to name a few. Gun building is a challenge at the best of times. A motorcycle accident at 62 years of age has left me with a titanium bar and half a dozen screws in my right shoulder as well. I'm still gonna finish my second build and some "oopsies" will be a direct result of the tremor.
I do what I can do and if I get the shakes I will lay off until they pass. :thumbsup: ......Daniel

 

[Eric Krewson]

20 years of peeling the bark and sapwood off 100s of osage staves with a draw knife left me with some serious carpal tunnel problems. I can't ride a bike or hold a fishing rod without my hands going to sleep. I can do fine chiseling and rasping without problems.

If I do any heavy hand work I just as well put my carpal tunnel braces on before I go to bed so my dead hands won't wake me up.

 

[wulf]

Where do you get those hand braces to help night
sleep ? My hands wake me because of pain...

 

[Mean Gene]

ff But I had the surgery done for that and wished I had done it sooner.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

there are all kinds of repetitive motion/trauma conditions. The most prevalent are white finger, from operating vibrating equipment too long and too often, carpal tunnel, a trapped nerve in the wrist from too many pushes and bumps with the hand, DeQuervaine's Syndrome from trigger finger functions, and medial tunnel, from flexing the elbow too many times under great pressure.

I started to notice my fingers go numb for a few hours, I also got sensations in my hand like static electricity discharges within the hand after running the lawn mower and chain saw. I started wearing leather gloves for all farm activities and it helped a lot. My fingers still go numb but very infrequently and i now do more mowing with the rider than the push mower. I don't cut as much wood with a chain saw like I used to either. My hands still start to go numb when I am on a long drive. I have to change position and grip on the wheel very frequently. And after 4 hours take a break. (An acquaintance has such a problem driving, that he rigged a gizmo on the bottom of the steering wheel, so he could steer with his left knee once he was out on the interstate.) I drove his car for a bit when we went to a conference and the left knee thing worked great. It was surprisingly easy.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

BTW, repetitive motion/trauma conditions were a big new thing in the worker's comp field about 30 years ago. It was well known for decades that carpenters often ended up with carpal tunnel. But a host of new conditions were covered by this. Insurance companies had to rewrite their rates for various occupations due to covering these new injuries.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Walmart has the wrist braces, I bought the lower priced black and gray ones, they work well.