About those carpal tunnel-like symptoms…
Sandy Troon and Sarah Gates, both textile conservators of a certain age, living and working on the west coast of the USA, are sending this message out as a "heads-up" to colleagues.
Both of us have experienced and been diagnosed with carpal-tunnel-like symptoms, (pain in arms, difficulty gripping tools, worsening handwriting, etc) only to discover after seeing many doctors and experiencing increased pain, that our problem is really with spinal dics # 4-7 in our necks, the "cervical discs" are they are called.  We know of two other textile conservators who have had trouble with this, as well as several professional seamstresses.  Our hope is that if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, that you do not hesitate to look into the health of your spine rather than treatments for carpal tunnel – which can just increase cervical pain.
There are many things you can try before having to resort to steroid shots  (Sarah) and surgical fusion (Sandy).  Be sure to explore everything from better posture to making your core muscles as strong as they can be, as well as acupuncture and myofascial massage. Both of us have found that consulting physiatrists, aka doctors trained in the study of the physical functioning of the body, has been crucial to the management of our neck health.
If you are experiencing pain, tingling, burning, and/or numbness in your hands, arms, shoulders or "delayed pain" in those same areas, do no hesitate to pursue a diagnosis soon and thoroughly!

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Sarah Gates,
Head Conservator, Textile Conservation
M H de Young Memorial Museum
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118-4501
Telephone: 415-750-7611
Fax: 415-750-2678
http://famsfconservation.wordpress.com