Danny’s hands went numb during his daughter’s birthday party. He couldn’t feel the cake knife.
Thirty-four years old. Fifteen years in carpentry.
“Thought I was too young for this,” he said. “Turns out my wrists didn’t get the memo.”
The carpenter’s wrist problem
Your wrist is a crowded place. Bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves—all packed into a tunnel about the size of your thumb.
Now run a reciprocating saw for six hours. Then a nail gun. Then a drill. The vibrations compress that tunnel. The repetitive motions inflame the tendons. The tendons swell and press on the median nerve.
That’s carpal tunnel. But it’s not the only thing going wrong.
Carpenters also get:
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis—inflammation of the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. Feels like a knife every time you grip something.
Trigger finger—tendon sheath gets so irritated that your finger locks up. You physically can’t straighten it.
Wrist tendonitis—general inflammation from overuse. Everything hurts. All the time.
Danny had all three. By age thirty-four.
The vibration factor
Here’s something Danny didn’t know: Vibration white finger isn’t just about your fingers.
Power tools transmit vibration up through your hands into your wrists. That vibration causes the blood vessels to constrict and the nerves to get hypersensitive.
The CDC has a name for it: Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. And carpenters who use vibrating tools more than two hours a day are four times more likely to develop it.
Danny was using them six hours a day.
What actually helps
Danny had to make changes. His doctor was clear: keep going like this, you’ll need surgery by forty.
Tool upgrades. He switched to anti-vibration gloves and bought newer tools with better dampening. Not cheap, but cheaper than surgery.
Work pattern changes. He breaks up repetitive tasks now. No more six-hour saw marathons. Rotate between different motions.
Wrist positioning. He stopped working with bent wrists. Neutral position, always. Feels awkward at first, but it changed everything.
Supplements. He added turmeric and omega-3s. “Didn’t believe it would help. But the night pain got better after about a month.” Brands like Built Daily Supply make joint formulas targeted at this exact kind of wear.
Night splints. Not sexy, but wearing wrist splints while sleeping keeps the tunnel open and reduces morning numbness.
The bottom line
Your wrists are precision instruments. You’ve been treating them like hammers.
They’re asking for a break. Listen before they quit on you.