Possible Carpal tunnel Syndrome in a teenager piano player

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi, Im Kassidy and I'm 15 years old. I have been playing the piano for 10 years and the clarinet for 5 years. I have all of the symptoms of carpal tunnel in my right wrist so im 100% sure that I have it. I cant afford to go to the doctor but i have and old brace that I can wear. Do I need to wear it all the time? My wrist and fingers tingle a lot and have started to get numb quite often. I also have a throbbing pain almost all the time. What should I do?

Dear Kassidy: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is an entrapment of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel at the level of the wrist. Usual symptoms include numbness, tingling, “pins and needles” and pain in the wrist and hand, especially the thumb, index and middle fingers. The conservative treatment includes first of all a work-site ergonomic assessment may help to reduce potentially exacerbating factors, in your case you should modify all the postures or activities that reproduce the symptoms. The use of a wrist-hand brace that sets the wrist joint in neutral position (to be worn at nighttime for a minimum of 3-4 weeks) many off-the-shelf wrist splints seem to work well. A specific stretching/strengthening program for the hand and wrist may be useful in improving strength and dexterity. The use of anti-inflammatory medications (i.e.: “Aleve”) may be of benefit if you have any pain. Lack of aerobic exercise (along with increased Body Mass Index) is a risk factor for the development of CTS and should be addressed. Overuse of legal drugs (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, alcohol) can contribute to CTS and should therefore be reduced. Most individuals with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) respond to conservative treatment, the local corticosteroid injection may be considered in those cases that show poor improvement with the conservative treatment (although injection rarely is used in practice).