Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Surgery
Find out if carpal tunnel surgery is the right option for you

Carpal tunnel syndrome can usually be treated without surgery. Surgery is only an option when:
a.) The patient has not responded to other non-surgical therapies and treatments. Some medical experts advise patients to wait a year out before considering surgery as an option.
b.) The patient’s symptoms severely restrict daily activities. These restrictions might include loss of coordination in the hand, or persistent pain during sleep.
c.) Nerve tests show there is extensive damage or potential for damage in the median nerve.
d.) Tumors or other growths must be removed from the wrist area
Choice of Surgery
Cutting the carpal ligament to relieve median nerve pressure on the wrist is the most common carpal tunnel surgery. This surgery can be divided further into two kinds of surgery:
The first is open carpal tunnel release surgery. This requires an incision in the palm and wrist and leaves a bigger scar. The advantage of this surgery is that the doctor is able to see more inner tissue. After the ligament is cut, the doctor closes the cut with stitches. The gap where the ligament was cut is left alone and eventually heals up with scar tissue.
The second option is endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery. This requires only a small incision on the wrist or palm and disturbs less tissue. The scars also tend to be smaller, and recovery time is quicker.
Risks
The good news is, risks of complication in carpal tunnel surgery are very low—about 5%. However, keep in mind that there’s always a very small possibility of infection. These infections can be cleared up with little problem.
What to Think About
Carpal tunnel surgery is usually successful in relieving the symptoms of the syndrome. Make sure to take a nerve test to confirm your diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome
Pregnant women should postpone carpal tunnel surgery until after childbirth. It is often the case that symptoms disappear without treatment as pregnancy-induced fluid buildup is relieved.
Be sure that you are not suffering from conditions such as rheumatoid arthiritis or diabetes, which both cause symptoms similar to that of carpal tunnel syndrome. If you are taking medication that exacerbates your carpal tunnel symptoms, continuous treatment is nearly always necessary to manage those symptoms. Surgery may be one way of giving you partial relief from these symptoms.
Your doctor’s experience with open or endoscopic surgery will often determine your decision about whether to use one or the other. It is necessary to choose a procedure your doctor is most experienced with and familiar at. Endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery in particular uses technical equipment and is best done with a doctor who has had experience with the procedure many times.