Carpal Tunnel Surgery
By Dr. Crandall
If you’ve ever experienced numbness, tingling, or weakness in your hands and fingers, then you know how strange the sensation—or lack of it—can feel. Depending on the severity, it can range from mildly annoying to debilitating.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the name of the condition that often causes these sensations, and it occurs when the median nerve within the wrist (specifically your carpal tunnel) experiences pressure or pinching. As a result, you might feel pain, a tingling sensation, numbness of the fingers, weakness, or aching.
If you’re wondering whether surgery is an option to relieve your symptoms, you’re in the right place.
First, Is It Really Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Or Something Else?
Our plastic surgeons routinely conduct consultations for those experiencing numbness, tingling, or even weakness in one or both hands. While most people suspect carpal tunnel syndrome as the sole culprit, this is not always the case. These symptoms can be caused by a variety of nerve compression syndromes, not just carpal tunnel syndrome.
The reality is that there are many nerves that travel to the hand, and each one produces a certain set of symptoms when compressed. Here are some that your plastic surgeon will consider during their evaluation:
- Pronator syndrome- occurs when the median nerve is compressed at the elbow or upper forearm. Symptoms may affect both your hand and your forearm.
- Radial tunnel syndrome- occurs when the radial nerve is compressed at the lateral elbow, resulting in pain in the forearm and wrist.
- Cubital tunnel syndrome- occurs when the ulnar nerve is compressed, resulting in tingling or weakness in the little finger and ring finger.
Specifically, carpal tunnel syndrome tends to cause numbness and tingling in the index finger, the middle finger, and sometimes, part of the ring finger.
Often, a detailed hand exam can diagnose the problem.
Can Surgery Reverse the Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
First, it is important to know that carpal tunnel syndrome does not always require surgery. Conservative treatments such as rest, cold packs, and wrist splinting may relieve early or mild symptoms.
If you develop weakness in one or both of your hands, seeing a plastic surgeon sooner rather than later is very prudent. Symptoms such as numbness and tingling may be reversible depending on how far things have progressed. Weakness, however, is not always reversible. If you are experiencing these more moderate or severe symptoms, then it’s quite reasonable to be evaluated by a plastic surgeon to determine if something can be done to help.
In some cases, we will recommend surgery such as endoscopic carpal tunnel release to relieve pressure on the median nerve and alleviate symptoms that aren’t responding to conservative treatments.
In this minimally invasive procedure, we use an endoscope to see exactly where the nerve is pinched and release it. The one-centimeter incision leaves a barely noticeable scar, and most patients are able to return to work within two to four weeks.
In our series of more than 500 cases, we have found that endoscopic carpal tunnel release offers more advantages than continuing conservative measures over a long period of time.
Is Carpal Tunnel Surgery Right for Me?
If you live in Northland and are experiencing moderate to severe symptoms that haven’t responded well to conservative treatment, then we encourage you to contact Northland Plastic Surgery for a consultation to explore your next options. Our board-certified plastic surgeons are trained to treat carpal tunnel syndrome as well as any other nerve compression syndrome.
