carpal tunnel?

Question

I am having surgery for carpal tunnel amd want to know if i can use my hand after surgery and how big is the bandage.

Answer 1

Dear Asker!

Here are some information about surgery and post-operative care for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Generally, nonsurgical treatments are more effective if you have only mild nerve impairment. When the pain or numbness of carpal tunnel syndrome persists, surgery may be the best option.

Your surgeon may use one of a few accepted techniques. But in all accepted surgical procedures, your doctor cuts the ligament pressing on your nerve. At times, surgery can be done using an endoscope, a telescope-like device with a tiny camera attached to it that allows your doctor to see inside your carpal tunnel and perform the surgery through small incisions in your hand or wrist. In other cases, surgery involves making an incision in the palm of your hand over the carpal tunnel and releasing the nerve. The incision is very small and the bandage is minime. Don't be so frightened of that!

Surgery usually results in marked improvement, but you may experience some residual numbness, pain, stiffness or weakness. Surveys of people who have undergone carpal tunnel release indicate that about 70 percent are completely or very satisfied with the outcome of their surgery. Some variables that are associated with lower levels of satisfaction include consuming more than two alcoholic drinks a day, smoking, lower mental and physical health status before surgery, and exposure to repetitive, forceful activity — but not including keyboard use.

After surgery, your doctor may tell you that limited use of your hand and wrist is OK within a few days. However, it may take from several weeks to as long as a few months before you have unrestricted use of your hand and wrist. If surgery appears to be the best alternative for relieving your symptoms or preventing further muscle atrophy, be sure to talk with your surgeon about the procedure that will work best for you and with your plans to return to your previous activity levels, both at work and at home.

If carpal tunnel syndrome results from an inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, then treating the underlying condition generally also reduces the carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.

Hope that may help you!
Good luck!

Answer 2

Well, I had carpal tunnel surgery about 5 yrs ago. I know some doctors do it a little differently now, but for me I had to wear a big bulky dressing for the first week. I couldn't do anything with my hand at that point. After that the doctor took the dressing off and I had to wear one of the hand/wrist splints. I wasn't supposed to lift anything heavier than 2 lbs for 6 weeks. I had to take all that time off work because I'm right handed (I had the right hand done) and I'm a nurse. Writing for long periods of time would have been difficult and I often have to lift pretty heavy things. It ended up being like an enforced vacation though, cuz after the first week I could drive and do most things.

Answer 3

It is possible to have an electroconduction test that comes up still in the normal range when a patient is symptomatic. Look at what activities you are doing that might be aggrevating this. You want your wrist in a neutral position. This is the position where your wrist is slightly bent back. If you make a fist like you are going to pound on the table, your wrist will be in a neutral position. Your fingers are little marionettes controlled by strings (tendons) that go through your carpal tunnel. In a neutral wrist position those tendons pass cleanly through the carpal tunnel. If you bend your hand back and move your fingers, then the tendons rub against the carpal tunnel. If you bend your wrist forward and move your fingers (like you're trying to tickle the inside of your elbow on the same arm), then the tendons really run against the carpal tunnel. If it helps, put a rubber band around your wrist. Then imagine a string connected from your fingertips through the rubber band to the inside of your elbow. If you bend your hand back, the strings rub against your wrist. If you bend your wrist forward, the strings rub against the rubber band. Even side-to-side bending of your wrist can make problems. I use a keyboard that is split so that my wrists don't have to bend to the side to type. Hold your hands in front of you with everything relaxed so that your index fingers almost touch. That's a natural position. Then bend your wrists outward a bit so that all your fingers are in a line like they would be on a normal keyboard. Feel the difference? Advil or Aleve will help with the swelling. Tylenol will not.

Answer 4

You will most likely have a brace type bandage. you won't be able to use the hand immediately after surgery I don't think. The best advice I can give you is to ask your Dr.

Answer 5

Good luck with the surgery and recovery !

Answer 6

Don't know never had that type of surgery.

Answer 7

they wrap your hand and then put a ace bandage around it. you should be able to use this hand in a week.

Answer 8

yes but very little.