I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome about a year ago by a medical professional, and the symptoms are very inhibiting for me. I participate in my school’s Wind Ensemble playing flute and piccolo, and I cannot play for more than 10-15 minutes without experiencing numbness; and by 45 minutes my fingers will start to lock up and I am in substantial pain. When I’m writing, I nearly always feel discomfort and numbness, and after writing for 20-25 minutes, my hand will go rigid and my handwriting fluctuates significantly due to lack of control. Wearing wrist splints ultimately weakens the strength in my wrists, but using them as a crutch helps with the pain.
I took the AP World History exam last year, and the free-response section was near torture. As the time progressed, the speed and legibility at which I was able to write decreased drastically. By the end of the exam, I couldn’t hold my pen/pencil any longer, my entire hand was trembling from pain, and I was not able to pick up anything that required hand movement for about an hour afterwards.
This year, I’ll be taking two AP exams (on different days) and I’m concerned about the effects CTS will have on the quality of exam I can submit. Next year (2017 AP Exams), I will be taking nine AP exams, with one day where I will have two exams in one day and I will be testing every day for the second week.
I was wondering if anyone has suffered from or had experience with CTS and has any suggestions for improving stamina and decreasing pain while writing, specifically for AP exams.
Thank you all for your time in reading and responding.