When is surgery required for carpal tunnel syndrome?

In this article below, carpal tunnel syndrome is explained by revered consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Mr Preetham Kodumuri, including the symptoms, causes, and treatment options.

What are the most common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?

The most common symptoms are pins and needles in the hand, pain that starts in the fingers and goes all the way to the wrist, and numbness in the hand.

What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?

The reason why carpal tunnel syndrome occurs is quite straightforward. The carpal tunnel is the small space located at the bottom of your hand right in the middle. In there, you have the median nerve.

Any pressure applied to that nerve, quite often to the ligament sitting on top of the nerve, leads to the squashing and thickening of the ligament. As a result, the round nerve starts to get flatter and flatter. Any movement of the wrist and hand makes this worse.

Is treatment always required or can the problem resolve on its own?

Initially, when the symptoms are mild, treatment can include providing patients with splints for their wrists. Lifestyle modifications can also help. Initial treatment will never be surgical. Nerve exercises can also help.

What can be done at home to help relieve the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Quite often, the patients suffering these symptoms use splints themselves at home and find that it helps them. Wearing a splint at night when sleeping can be helpful. Painkillers may help some patients too.

What are the available treatment options?

When splints do not work, and patients cannot get relief at home, we can get patients injections. This will provide symptomatic relief.

When is surgery required?

Surgery is required when all of the above fails.

To book a consultation with Mr Preetham Kodumuri, simply head on over to his Top Doctors profile today.