Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease that anyone may suffer; however, certain predisposing factors such as genetics, and repetitive manual work, and other conditions such as hypothyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis, pregnancy, perimenopause, and a family history of carpal tunnel syndrome, among others.

What symptoms does the person suffering from carpal tunnel feel?

The most common symptom is numbness in the fingers, from the thumb to the fourth finger and radiated pain from the hand to the forearm, which manifests itself as a tingling pain. Also, it is possible to have a combination of hand pain with numbness, loss of strength or a swollen hand feeling.

Normally, people who have these symptoms significantly limit their daily activities, due to the fear of dropping things, not being able to carry anything heavy or due to the pain they feel either during the day or at the early morning.

When should the specialist be consulted?

Tingling in the fingers or hands should be considered as the most important symptom and a cause for consultation with the specialist, because nerve deterioration is progressive and cumulative, and might be irreversible.

Is carpal tunnel syndrome a disease that demands surgery?

Initially, a specialized examination called electromyography is performed, which allows to determine the severity of the nerve damage. The results of this test help to determine if a person requires surgery or can otherwise overcome the disease with a non-surgical treatment, such as the use of night splints, stretching and gliding exercises for nerves and tendons.

If the nerve is damaged, how is the surgery performed?

There are two techniques for carpal tunnel decompression or release:

1. Open surgery: an incision of 2.5 cm in the palm of the hand is made and then the ligament that compresses the nerve is resected.
2. Endoscopic surgery: with a 1 cm incision on the anterior side of the wrist (outside the hand), a camera and a special instrument are inserted to cut only the ligament. Using this technique, the surgery lasts approximately seven minutes. 

What are the advantages of endoscopic surgery?

The endoscopic technique produces much less pain, reduces the time of disability, the return to daily activities is faster and the aesthetic result is more favorable for the patient.

Fundación Valle del Lili offers the subspecialty of Hand Surgery and a group of surgeons specialized in carpal tunnel syndrome and other hand diseases or injuries are available for people with such conditions. The results of endoscopic surgeries performed have been satisfactory in a 95 % of the patients, who, after the procedure, have experienced a remarkable improvement of the symptoms and their quality of life.

What happens if a carpal syndrome surgery is not performed?

An irreversibly injured median nerve produces permanent anesthesia and loss of feeling all over innervated area, as well as atrophy of the muscles involved in hand grasping. As a consequence, you should not be afraid of undergoing surgery. People must overcome their fear of surgery and in order to avoid further damage. It is a safe procedure at Fundación Valle del Lili, with a minimum percentage of complications and a high degree of satisfaction for patients.