Carpal tunnel syndrome affects up to 10 million people in the United States, causing pain, tingling, and dysfunction in the hands and wrists. It happens when you have inflammation or swelling in your wrist, which causes compression of the median nerve that runs through the wrist’s carpal tunnel to supply sensation to your fingers.
The swelling and inflammation that lead to carpal tunnel syndrome can be due to hormonal changes, your anatomy, repetitive movements like typing or painting, or a chronic health problem.
If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, conservative treatments like icing, pain medications, wrist splints, and movement modifications are often enough to ease your symptoms. But if these interventions don’t help, Dr. Michael Esposito, our physician at the Interventional Spine & Pain Institute in Vero Beach, Florida, may recommend surgery.
Here’s when carpal tunnel syndrome may benefit from surgical treatment.
Mild cases of carpal tunnel syndrome usually respond to nonsurgical treatments such as icing and splinting. You may find relief by changing the way you do some tasks or by using an ergonomic keyboard designed to put less stress on your wrists. If you catch the symptoms of carpal tunnel early and use these treatments early, you can avoid surgery.
Severe cases of carpal tunnel syndrome that have persisted for several months, or longer, may only get relief through surgery.
If you have carpal tunnel as a consequence of other health problems, like hypothyroidism, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis, surgery usually only gives you temporary relief. Often, it’s better to treat the underlying condition to make your carpal tunnel go away.
Sometimes, surgery and treatment for your chronic disease pair well when it comes to finding relief from the pain.
Dr. Esposito performs a nerve test to see if you need surgery. Ongoing carpal tunnel can make your symptoms and dysfunction permanent if your nerves are damaged.
Women commonly develop carpal tunnel syndrome during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. You might want to wait until you have your baby to have surgery, as carpal tunnel syndrome often goes away after delivery.
The type of surgery you undergo depends on your particular case. Dr. Esposito may recommend an open carpal tunnel release. With this option, he makes an incision on the inside of your wrist and then cuts right through the flexor retinaculum, a band of connective tissue that forms the roof of the carpal tunnel.
Another surgical approach is known as endoscopic carpal tunnel release. During this procedure, Dr. Esposito makes small incisions and uses an endoscope — a small camera — and tiny instruments to free the nerve from the flexor retinaculum.
Both surgeries are outpatient procedures, meaning you go home the same day to recover.
Dr. Esposito only recommends surgery if your symptoms interfere with daily activity, recur regularly, and don’t respond to corticosteroid injections or other nonsurgical treatments.
Usually, your symptoms disappear after surgery. But if you had severe damage to the nerve, it could be several weeks or months before you feel better.
In some cases, surgery doesn’t help. Generally, this is because your carpal tunnel syndrome is at an advanced stage and damage to the nerve has occurred.
If you have carpal tunnel syndrome and are ready to explore your treatment options, contact Interventional Spine & Pain Institute. Call today or request an appointment online.
