Symptoms (Hands & forearms) - CMT Awareness Month 2015 - DAY 7

Today, as promised, I'm continuing to talk about 
the Symptoms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease 
in more detail.
             

          

This time we focus on the Hands & Arms  
 
Whilst the feet and legs are usually the first part of the body to be affected, most people with CMT find their hands also being affected at some time or another.

Before any visible signs occur, young people still in school can have trouble with handwriting, and can lag behind taking notes in class.  I also had trouble doing up buttons after sports class (which I usually came last in anyway!).
   

Image source: My hand! Photo taken 2012

Visible changes in the hands usually happen later on, with a reduction in muscle tone, especially around the base of the thumb.  Caused by damage to the motor nerves, the fingers can start to claw in a similar manner to the toes.  These issues combine to make both grip, and fine control in the hands difficult.
     

Image source: www.lindacrabtree.com

This nerve damage also causes sensory problems in the hands in a similar way to the feet. This includes reduced sensation, cold hands (although not usually as severe as the cold feet usually experienced by people with CMT!).  Again, as with the lower limbs, cramping, electric shock type pains, and the sensations of creepy crawly skin are all other symptoms which result from damage to the sensory nerves.
   
There are lots of living aids which can help make things simpler.  It is always worth talking to occupational therapists who can talk about options.
   
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So, thank you for sticking with me once again.  
Please share these posts with your friends.
    
Do please leave me a comment below to let me know you stopped by!
           

     

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To read my other Awareness Month posts, simply click on the "Awareness Month" tag at the very bottom of any of these posts!

                 

  www.CMT.org.uk
         

If you are interested in finding out more, the UK's official charity for the disease, CMT United Kingdom, have a wealth of information.
   
xxSAMxx