Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Surgery

Featuring Dr. Bertrand Perey, MD, Orthopaedics Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and Surgery Duration: 1 minute, 44 seconds

The results of surgical treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome are usually outstanding.

It’s one of the best operations that we have in upper extremity surgery. The overwhelming majority of patients have complete resolution of their symptoms.

The problem is in the first several weeks after surgery, they incision there – the cut that’s made on the palm, whether endoscopically or open – is going to become more tender. We call this induration.

And it’s because the skin of the palm is like the skin of the sole of our foot – it has a very special reaction to cutting to it. It tends to create a lot of scar; some people more than others.

For the majority of patients, that scar will get more organized, harder, and sometimes more tender for up to four weeks after surgery. It virtually dissipates over the ensuing following several months so that you can’t even see it. Some of your therapists may, in fact, apply a special gel pad over the scar to help the acceleration of the scar maturation.

Occasionally, injuries can happen, and you should talk to your doctor if this happens. If you have prolonged numbness in one or more of your fingers after surgery has occurred, you may worry that there may be a little pressure that’s happened on the nerve. There may have been an injury. Or it may simply be the swelling from the operation.

The recurrence rates following surgery are extremely low. I’ll mention probably less than 10 percent at 10 years, meaning that 90 percent of patients at 10 years no long have symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

If you have questions about surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, or you think that you may have had a complication from surgery, you should seek attention from your family physician immediately.

Presenter: Dr. Bertrand Perey, Orthopaedic Surgeon, New Westminster, BC

Local Practitioners: Orthopaedic Surgeon