What is carpal tunnel decompression?

Tingling, numbness and pain in your hands and fingers may indicate carpal tunnel syndrome, a common condition caused by a compression of the median nerve. To treat this condition, an orthopaedic surgeon may carry out a carpal tunnel decompression. Mr Stephen Lipscombe, highly experienced hand and wrist surgeon, explains what this procedure involves.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome typically starts with painful tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers and occasional numbness. At this stage, many patients can be managed only with a resting wrist splint or a steroid injection that are completed at the clinic.

If symptoms fail to improve after three months or persistent numbness develops, surgery is usually recommended.

What does carpal tunnel surgery involve?

Carpal tunnel decompression is the commonest hand surgical procedure for carpal tunnel syndrome and is typically very successful at relieving painful tingling.

The operation is completed as a day-case surgery in the surgical room while the patient is awake.

An injection into the palm numbs the area, allowing the operation to be completed in about 10 minutes. The ligament compressing the nerve is divided and stitches are used to close the wound, which is also dressed with a water-resistant sealant.

What can patients expect after carpal tunnel surgery?

Bandages are removed two days after the surgery. Light daily activities, including showering, can then start.

The wound is checked after two weeks and sutures are usually removed.

Patients can start driving once the wound has healed, but it can take four weeks for office workers and up to three months for manual workers to return to work.

The commonest concern following surgery is scar tenderness and some reduction in grip strength, which can take several months to resolve. For some patients, a slight residual tingling and numbness might remain.

In around one per cent of cases, a rare unpredictable complication called complex regional pain syndrome, can occur. This requires prolonged hand therapy and specialist pain medication.

If you have recently been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and would to discuss your options with an expert, don’t hesitate to visit Mr Lipscombe’s Top Doctors profile today.