Living with carpal tunnel syndrome means adjusting to days and nights of discomfort and a reduced ability to use your hands.
As you consider treatment options, the team at Carl N. Williams, Jr. M.D. Hand and Plastic Surgery can explain how hand surgery could improve your condition. Many residents of the greater Las Vegas, Nevada, area have found lasting relief from carpal tunnel syndrome by partnering with Dr. Williams.
This condition develops when pressure is placed on your median nerve, which runs from your forearm into your hand. This large nerve enables sensation in the palm side of your thumb and all of your fingers except the little finger.
The median nerve also sends the signals between brain and body that allow your muscles to control thumb movement. The nerve passes through a narrow chamber in your wrist called the carpal tunnel, the passageway created from your wrist bones and the transverse carpal ligament.
Any damage to the carpal tunnel, or conditions that create inflammation in the area, can narrow the passageway and place pressure on the median nerve. In addition, some people are genetically predisposed to having smaller-than-average carpal tunnel spaces.
If symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are preventing you from completing tasks at home or work or are causing ongoing pain, surgical intervention can deliver lasting relief. Generally called carpal tunnel release, there are several different ways to complete this type of surgery.
Here are five encouraging facts about what hand surgery can do for you.
While few people look forward to any type of surgery, this treatment path offers the chance to achieve complete and permanent symptom relief. That can make a world of difference for people who’ve been suffering with pain and other symptoms for years.
Pain and other symptoms can keep you from moving through your normal routines with ease. Many people rely on pain medication to soothe symptoms. While over-the-counter pain medicine can sometimes lessen discomfort, some people need stronger drug therapy.
If you’ve been relying on pharmaceutical interventions that carry a risk of serious side effects, the ability to correct the problem with surgery offers the chance to end your reliance on these medications and reduce the risk of addiction in the case of certain pain medications.
In some cases, carpal tunnel release surgery requires an open incision, about two inches long. Creating this opening allows the room needed to use surgical instruments to cut the carpal ligament and create more space for your median nerve.
In certain cases, Dr. Williams can use endoscopic techniques to complete the surgical repair. This approach requires only one or two half-inch incisions on the wrist. Tubes equipped with a light and camera and very slim surgical tools alter the tissues and create more room for the median nerve.
Smaller incisions can mean smaller and less visible scars. Your surgery team explains how to take care of the incision sites to minimize scarring.
After your surgery, a course of physical therapy aims to strengthen the area and speed the healing process. The focus is improving range of motion and flexibility in your hand and wrist.
You may need to wear a splint or brace on your wrist in the weeks following surgery. This helps minimize the risk of harming the surgical site and also stabilizes your hand and wrist during the healing process.
Your body needs time to recover after any surgery. If you choose carpal tunnel release, your hand and wrist will be heavily bandaged for a couple of weeks after your procedure. Dr. Williams advises you to move your fingers during this timeframe to reduce the risk of stiffness.
You may need to rely on pain medication to manage discomfort after your surgery. Depending on the surgical approach, your recovery process can take a few weeks to a few months.
If you have additional questions or concerns about carpal tunnel surgery, the team at Carl N. Williams, Jr. M.D. Hand and Plastic Surgery is here to help. You can reach us online or by phone to schedule a consultation.
