A history of broken bones in the arm, forearm, wrist, clavicle, shoulder blade can be a predisposing factor. Finally, the particular instrument played by the musician increases susceptibility. Violinists, violists, guitarists, pianists, and percussionists are most at risk. For those of you who are unfamiliar with CTS, the following is a list of symptoms associated with the malady. CTS leads to pain, numbness, tingling, and when at its worse, weakness in the first three fingers of your hand.
Symptoms can occur in the forearm as well.
Many sufferers complain of pain in the hand or arm while sleeping. The person suffering from this disease may experience difficulty holding the instrument, clumsiness, drops objects such as glasses, and cannot grip well. This is why it is necessary to find a competant doctor who will investigate all these areas to determine the extent of injury. To explain how carpal tunnel syndrome develops, I like to use the following analogy when explaining nerve flow from the neck to the arms. This is why I state that performing surgery on the wrist is usually not effective, since many times the problems lie above that area.