Hand pain from SFN
 

The one area I desperately need relief from (if possible) is the extremely painful finger/hand/forearm pain I have from SFN. If anyone can suggest a topical or otherwise solution I would really appreciate it.

I'm currently taking 300mg x3 of Gabapentin a day. Sometimes I use ice and 2 500mg extra strength Tylenol.

Thank you,
Cliffman :)

Try the Aspercreme Lidocaine on the inner wrist, where the nerves go thru the ligaments there. Compression is often
a source of pain there.

Compression at the wrist can make the whole arm ache.

You might try the wrist braces for carpal tunnel at night, as they can help take the pressure off that spot.

The Morton Epsom lotion may help too.

You could go higher on the gabapentin. That is not much of a dose when you have the level of nerve pain you are describing.

Hi Cliffman,

I have tried a variety of prescription topicals and found relief with one but not with others. It can take some tweaking. One was just too sticky and sat on my skin doing nothing. The lab you choose and the bases they use will make a difference.

My favorite is a cream with ketoprofen, ketamine and gabapentin in it. The lab I use puts in a little DMSO to help carry the meds through the skin. This med combo stays creamy and does help. We could've put in lidocaine but I liked having it separate.

Definitely ask your doc about options. They can be expensive and insurance coverage is sometimes iffy. I always asked the pharmacy to make me the smallest portion they can as a sample to start.

You could check for both carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel. I had both. I wore wrist braces and elbow braces ( on backwards to help keep the arm straight) at night. It wasn't bad enough to operate, thank goodness because the recovery is terrible; however, the pain did increase- alot. I ended up getting an epidural in my neck, I could not take it for one more second. Please find out, and really baby those nerves. Keep your arms straight as possible, no leaning on tables, etc. I believe physical therapy helped a little, I may have just waited too long.

Compression or impingement up in the neck/shoulder area can affect the arm, elbow & hand, fingers...
Trigger points can refer pain to other areas also.
http://www.pressurepointer.com/pain_reference_chart.htm

This is true. Mine stemmed from a bulging disc in my neck