Enscopic carpal tunnel surgery: A few things you can expect

Since coming to  Muskegon in August of 2015, I have performed nearly 1500 endoscopic carpal tunnel releases.  This is a very safe and effective technique, that can reduce recovery time immensely compared to the traditional open technique.

In the past, I performed many carpal tunnel releases utilizing the open technique.  I utilized a large incision with multiple sutures that required 2-3 weeks of healing.  In addition people needed additional 2-3 weeks to recover after that to go back to their work.  This was for even light duty jobs that do not require a lot of lifting. Its a lot of time off for most people, especially if they work with their hands.

 All that has changed with the endoscopic (minimally invasive) technique.

What should I expect during carpal tunnel surgery? 

The surgery itself takes only about 10 minutes.  It could be done in a hospital setting under light sedation or even local anesthesia.  If  you choose to undergo  surgery using sedation, then you will need to fast the night before and not eat anything the day of surgery, as well as getting someone to drive you to the hospital and back.  Otherwise, if you use local anesthesia you could do the surgery without fasting and drive yourself home from the hospital.  Although,  a driver is always preferred when possible.

Currently, techniques are being developed in order to be able to do the surgery in an in-office setting.  (We are very close to having that become a reality in the next 3-6 months, that will be available at a fixed price like the Oklahoma Surgery Center,  so stayed tuned in future blog posts.)

What to expect after endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery? 

What I tell patients is:  after they go home from surgery, in the evening, they can take the dressing off, wash their hands normally, and if they feel good they can even go out to dinner.  The next day they can drive, and run errands if they need to. They can lifting up to 10 lbs., which is about a gallon of milk. They can shower normally. Bathing and soaking of the hand is prohibited. They can call with any other questions they have, and they should return for suture removal in about 10-14 days.

In regards to pain, most patients do not need pain meds for more than one night, and  often ibuprofen or tylenol is more than enough.

In regards to carpal tunnel symptoms, although some residual numbness may remain for a period opf time as the nerve is healing, nighttime numbness and pain (that wakes people up from sleep and is a major reason why patients seek medical care in the first place) is gone the very first night.

In regards to a return to work, I have had a numbe of patients who hold deskjobs or lighter demand jobs go back on a Monday after Friday surgery. This is not unusual. For heavier demand jobs, it really does depend on the individual, but once again, many patients will go back after a week, with stitches still in, and perform perfectly well. This is also not unsual.

In my medical opinion, I see virtually no reason to ever perform open carpal tunnel release for carpal tunnel syndrome anymore, as long as the surgeon is a hand surgeon trained in the technique.