Carpal Tunnel Operation - Recovery Time ?

[Jap90s]

I'm an active healthy 50 yr old in the middle of a house renovation

I get carpel tunnel symptoms morning and night, tingling and numbness in all fingers & thumb except little finger if I ride a motorcycle for more than 1 day this will increase to significant pain at night. I get pain in my elbows if they are bent for long too

I think I need the op, I thought it was just opening up the tunnel so the recovery was a couple of weeks for the incision

However I just discovered they cut the ligament and recovery can be as long as 3 months !

Does that mean to avoid discomfort or I actually need 3 months off from manual work ?

I can't do that in the foreseeable future, if it's correct are there any other options ?

[ALawson]

Chap who did my shoulder Abhinav Gulihar is an upper limb specialist who does the following technique. As I understand it it is far less intrusive that traditional surgery.

He was recommended to me a by previous knee surgeon who also works for the same company, Abhi would have appeared to have repaired a severely damaged shoulder and I have had no complaints so far.

Whilst they seem to do knees and hips at Weymouth Hospital, Abhi operates at London Bridge Hospital, Blackheath when he isn t doing NHS at Kings as head of trauma and surgery.

https://www.orthopaedicinnovation.co.uk/treatments...

I managed to see him within 48hrs of flying back from Tenerife which included MRI, CT Scans. I can ,et you know his PA email if needed as he normally works via HCA.

Edited by ALawson on Friday 30th January 20:46

[Jap90s]

Thanks, I appreciate your reply I'd searched and that hadn't been mentioned at all

I'll take a good look into it, sounds too good to be true

[Bill]

Presumably you've tried night splint and steroid injections already?

[dontlookdown]

My dad who is 90 had both his done last year. Better late than never;)

Recovery time for 'normal' activity was about 3 weeks. But although he is old, he is not doing a house renovation, you may need longer before you can get back on the tools.

In terms of outcome, better on the right hand (which had only been symptomatic for a year or so) than on the left, which had been giving him trouble for ca 5 yes. Worth doing, he says.

[SteveV8miller]

I don't know about surgery however with reference to response previous, I had a single steroid injection back in 2013 and my hand is still ok. At that point my hand was in pain with continous nerve tingiling. Worth a shot if not already done.

[xstian]

SteveV8miller said:

I don't know about surgery however with reference to response previous, I had a single steroid injection back in 2013 and my hand is still ok. At that point my hand was in pain with continous nerve tingiling. Worth a shot if not already done.

If it through the NHS, I believe they insist on the steroid injection before they will refer you for the op.

My misses had it done last year. She was off for 4 weeks, does gardening for a job. My neighbour who is an electrician was back at work within 2weeks. But then I saw him unloading a trailer of firewood the day after the op.

[Jap90s]

Thanks all

I spoke to my GP and they jumped to surgery possibly because of my manual work, I agreed because I read it was a 2 week recovery

I was warned off steroid injections because a family member had them (IIRC for his back) and was later told that meant he couldn't try other solutions as they'd weakened the tissue

I really only get issues at night but the electrical tests said my condition was "moderate"

[Bill]

Jap90s said:

I was warned off steroid injections because a family member had them (IIRC for his back) and was later told that meant he couldn't try other solutions as they'd weakened the tissue

I think some wires are getting crossed here. Not sure what has gone on with your family member but spinal injections are routinely used as part of the diagnostic process before proceeding to surgery. Certainly their experience has no bearing on a steroid injection for your wrist.

[ALawson]

Post about chap I referred to.

Recovery time apparently almost same day.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/orthopaedicinnovati...

[FBP1]

I had my left hand done last year.



The CTS symptoms stopped almost instantly. The photo shows the quite deep incision about 2 weeks after the op, but I was also in a soft splint for a week or so at the start. Didn’t feel like I needed it, but I think it was more to make sure I didn’t start using it too soon.

Very pleased I had it done, and am now considering the other side too as the difference is marked - particularly at night, where I don’t get the “dead hand” waking me up at night or numb hand holding a phone or whatever anymore in the one that was operated on.

However, I did have a couple of months before full feeling was back in all of that hand. I could use it normally, it didn’t hurt or go to “sleep, but the touch sensation was numbed in the fingers 3,4&5. The odd sensation gradually cleared, and all is great now, but that is a rare possibility apparently. A kind of a bruising of the nerves during the op.

Once the nerve conduction tests have confirmed that there is a bad problem then physio etc won’t do anything - you just need to have the carpal tunnel relieved.