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The most important statement I can make is that symptoms that seem minimal in nature and include numbness, tingling, and aching pain following use of the arms need to be treated early and intensively. Of course, this is true for virtually any disorder, but I feel this is even more important here because of the consequent disability and suffering that occurs when, as happens all too often, these symptoms are ignored.
Given the difficulties many of my patients have encountered in obtaining appropriate treatment, it is important to remember not to follow any advice or perform any activities that result in increased symptoms, taking into account the frequent delay time. Damaging movements or postures can often take hours to a full day to result in increased symptoms and include activities such as driving, doing laundry, pulling weeds, opening difficult doors or jars, stirring pots, or using a keyboard or mouse even minimally. These and similar activities need to be avoided or compensated for. Initially, rest and avoidance of such activities bring about regression of symptoms relatively quickly; however, over time, symptoms appear more rapidly and recovery times lengthen. This is perpetuated by several factors, including personality type (mentioned under “Diagnosis”) and the need to continue to make money.
 
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