The Bean & Seed

30 days ago I challenged myself to try and improve the health of my thumb and forearm. You can read more about the injury I sustained in my “30-Day Physical Therapy Challenge & Car Accident Insights” post. The goal of the challenge was to see if I could improve the current state of my thumb and arm on my own prior to seeking out a medical professional. Now that I’ve reached the end of the challenge, how’d it go? The short answer is that I’ve definitely regained strength and have lessened some nerve issues. Read on for the detailed answer and some thoughts that may help you out if you find yourself dealing with a stubborn injury.

As mentioned in my prior post on this subject, I’ve let this injury linger for far too long. I was in a car accident 6 years ago, did 6 months of physical therapy (PT), and then basically went on with life without revisiting the injury or doing anything to try and improve upon the results of the original therapy. This has left me with an arm and thumb that are fully functional, but somewhat weaker than they should be. Additionally, I always have tendon pain from my thumb through the carpal tunnel and into the middle of my forearm. This pain varies in degrees based on use. The tendons always feel like they’re tight. The reason for deciding to do this 30-day challenge now is that I started to develop tingling in my thumb and index finger; they essentially felt like they were asleep for 3 weeks.

It’s important to note that some of what I’m experiencing are effects of carpal tunnel syndrome; some of which were caused by the accident; some of which were likely exacerbated by the accident. If you’re experiencing such sensations, you should definitely see a medical professional. In my instance, I did see a medical professional at the time of the injury and I’ve already been advised that such issues would be possible and that there was potential to need further treatment. In other words, I already know that if I can’t take care of this issue myself using what I learned in physical therapy, then it could lead to surgery. In a nutshell, the tendons moving back and forth in my arm are dragging and the exercises I’m doing act to lessen that friction and to keep my arm and thumb strong and flexible. Less friction equals less swelling; this leads to nerves not being pinched and thus less tingling and pain.

At the start of the challenge, I quickly discovered that the situation was worse than expected. I had been struggling to open jars and to keep a grip on things. For whatever reason, I didn’t put 2 and 2 together that it was a result of my injury. I had previously donated some of my equipment thinking that my arm would never again be weak enough to need the lighter weights and resistances I used in PT. At the beginning of the 30 days, I was causing myself more pain with some of the exercises and had to rebuy some equipment that offered less resistance. This allowed me to ease into the challenge and rebuild strength. I never would have thought I would have regressed in such a manner. This has taught me that I need to regularly include some light resistance training in my weekly routine on a going forward basis.

After 30 days of following my prior PT routine as closely as I can with the equipment I have available to me, here are the results I’ve seen. First, the positives. The tingling in my thumb and index finger has subsided. I can easily open jars and bags. My grip strength when carrying things has increased. The negatives aren’t really new things, but essentially match my prior PT experience. Overworking myself results in days of pain in the middle of my forearm, weakness in my wrist, and pain in the tendon going through my thumb. Additionally, even after the 30 day challenge, lifting something that is too heavy still feels like it reaches the limit of how far my tendons can stretch and they feel incredibly tight following such an activity. In my earlier post, I mentioned that my arm always feels like it wants to go back into the “sling” position. This comes from nursing the injury and it’s something I tend to want to do to ease discomfort. I think this is one of the reasons the tightness issue persists. In addition to the PT routine I’ve been following, I also made a mental note to keep my arm extended whenever possible; at a desk, on the couch, in the car, and even while sleeping. I believe this has resulted in my arm feeling looser in general and less like the tendons are always tight; so that’s another for the positive column.

In the end, this challenge has taught me that this needs to be part of my routine, not just something I do for 30 days. If I can improve my situation so easily and essentially get back to where I was at the end of PT 6 years ago, then it stands to reason that perhaps I can even extend beyond the positive results of the original 6 months of PT. Simultaneously, it is obvious that I need to research ways in which I can increase the flexibility of my tendons. Maybe a new stretching routine, a dietary change, or a supplement.

As always, my hope is that you will take away from this story a realization that we can improve our situations through discipline and a will to better ourselves. Additionally, we need to be wise and motivated enough to use the resources that are literally sitting at our fingertips. Looking back, I have serious questions about why I’ve let this injury linger and even deteriorate for so long when I’ve been sitting on tools meant to make my life better. I had accepted it as part of my existence, but I have a renewed sense that I can improve my situation and therefore my future.

Thanks for reading, Matt

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