Aromatase Inhibitors & carpal tunnel and trigger finger: Anyone?

I would suggest to find an OT for your trigger finger & carpel tunnel. I have 2 trigger fingers that showed up as a result of taking Anatrazole and I've had carpel tunnel for years but it got worse on the meds. My PT suggested I see an OT for my trigger finger - at that time I had 1 on my right hand - I'm so glad I decided to give OT a try as it helped tremendously. The therapy includes hot wax dip, ultrasound & tooling - she also had me wear silicone finger sleeve during the day and another type that keeps your finger from bending at night plus I wear my brace for carpel tunnel at night as well. Couldn't believe how it helped - it doesn't trigger much and when it does no pain and I'm able to open jars,
cut things etc. About 6 months later another finger started to trigger on my left hand so back to OT & same results. She said others she's treated who took Anatrazole found that once they were able to go off it their issues cleared up. So for me not having surgery as this has helped me so much, and given all fingers are fair game I don't want to go that route. My therapy lasted a month going 2 x's a week and if I have a flare up I go in for a "tune up" as my OT refers to it. I hope you find relief. Take care.

Ooooh this is so helpful! Thanks so much for sharing! I was really wondering about the hot wax dipping! I am sooo glad that worked for you! I am definitely interested in going to an OT! I am going to ask my care team! Have you heard about using Duloxetine? The stuff I saw in it didn't seem to be very conclusive. I'm already taking naltrexone and I really don't have a lot of pain at this point yet. I'm more concerned about damage to joints. Again thanks so much for sharing!

Yes, met ductal bc. I am 54. The oncologist physical therapist said the problems in my hands is likely due to the meds blocking the estrogen protection in my joints. She didn't think it was neuropathy per day and I agree. The only "functional medicine" that I have continued since my rediagnosis is the naltrexone. The others I abandoned mostly (I suppose) in disgust because it didn't appear to help me anyway I still got bc again. Frustrated, absolutely! I feel like I did everything I could have and to no avail! Here I am and that's the way it is. I had one ZOMETA treatment and am scheduled for the next. Hoping for less of a reaction this time!!!

I will be having surgery on my trigger finger this week
What should I expect with pain and usage after surgery?

Hi, Please forgive me for my English mistakes, It's not my common language...
I know it's an old post, but like to share my experience and have yours. I'm 61 years old, I'm on Letrozole since May 2024 after having Lumpectomy and 15 strong Radiations. Everything went fine with no side affects until December, then I noticed that when I wake up in the morning, I can hardly make a fist with my right hand... than in February, I worked a lot with my hands for 2 weeks, carry a lot of heavy stuff and so... after a few days, I started to have severe pain in my inner side of left wrist and thumb base. A few days later same pains began in the right hand... the Finkelstein's test was positive and very painful for both sides.
At late March, I had some kind of Trauma to my knees, having pains that needed to use crutches for 3 weeks while taking Anti Inflammatory drugs such Etopan, Brexin and Cataflam which was the only drug that helped...
While I took the drugs for my knees, it affected my hands also, and I had a good month with almost no pain in my arms, but as soon as I finished the AI the pain in my arms return and more severe than before...
Because a month of AI drugs didn't "kill" the Inflammation in my hands, I think maybe my bilateral De Quervain's Tenosynovitis related to Letrozole... Is it possible that side affect started only 6 month after starting taking it?

I had no idea what you should expect. I wish I had seen this post sooner, I apologize.
May I ask how you are doing? Was the surgery successful?

Anastrozole patients for 18 mos. I workout daily, eat well to avoid all the inflammation triggers. Severe knee paint, moving helps! I also developed trigger finger in my left thumb about 3 mos ago. I wear a splint at night and it does help quite a bit. I have yet to explore the cortisone shots or surgery. Trying to make do for now. I am switching to another Anastrozole manufacturer in a few weeks to see if the fillers are part of the problems🤷‍♀️.

I think these Medications are the ones doing the demage. I am on Exemestane and I was previous on Letrozole. I am only 44 years old. I have work out with weights etc for 15 years, I am an active person and eat fairly healthy. Exercising helps with my joint pain, however these meds are so bad that I even have joint pain and started having issues on my hands. So I started doing stretch and they do help. Everyday I do stretch on my hands part or my routine. The medication is the problem and no is not because the body is not producing estrogen blah blah... If that was the case then every single old women would have the same exact issues when they get old and stop producing estrogen and that's not the case. They need to come with something that doesn't destroy the body, because you are only preventing re occurrence on that breast nothing else, mean while you are destroying the rest of your body.

Can you tell me where you went for this OT--I had PT for this this week and I really wanted a place that specialized & understood BC & Anastrozole side affects. I got a splint , that's it. She mentioned repeatedly possibly getting Steroid injection or if it is so pervasive, surgery...:((

I was lucky that when I asked my PT what this was she said trigger finger and they had an OT who was also a lymphodema specialist (which I ended up needing there as well) that could handle it. She does ultrasound and tooling and gave me a splint to wear at night and at first a hard slip on finger splint that would help keep my finger from bending -- she eventually gave me a silicone finger cover which helps. As one was getting better another finger started triggering... so I'm currently treated for that. I hope you find a good OT.