Whether it’s picking up a utensil or simply waving to a friend, the use of our hands is incredibly important to everyday life. So what would you do if a handshake was painful or filled with numbness and tingling? Relief from this nerve pain and discomfort is becoming more obtainable and patients have more options to find that relief.
Years of Strain Can Lead to Pain
Working nearly 37 years as an electrician, Greg Horn knows how vital his hands are to his work.
“It’s not even just the job. It’s everything in life. That’s what makes your living is the hands," Horn said.
But for the last decade, there’s been a little more electrical tingling on the job — and we’re not talking about the wires.
“So Greg came in as a lot of patients do with numbness and tingling in the hand,” said Razvan Nicolescu, MD with Avera Orthopedics.
“Just like your hand, falling asleep and then tingling in the fingers and all that stuff," Horn said.
“And so we diagnosed him based on the exam and also a nerve study that showed that he did have carpal tunnel syndrome, and so we talked about the options of treatment,” said Dr. Nicolescu.
“They did mention a shot and that would only maybe last for so long and so many times," said Horn.
“And so we talked about surgery,” said Dr. Nicolescu.
Multiple Options to Find Relief
Patients now have a broader selection of choice for their surgical repair. There’s the traditional surgery, a Wide Awake option in the clinic, or a third minimally invasive procedure.
“One of the options that we have is an endoscopic approach and that’s what I prefer. The carpal tunnel really goes from the palm up to the wrist area," said Dr. Nicolsecu.
The traditional method for carpal tunnel release required a larger incision that would go all along the wrist into the palm, requiring a longer time to recover post surgery. Because of the larger incision, some physicians would even require the hand to be immobilized which could lead to some prolonged stiffness.
"Now we can do it endoscopically, where you have a small incision at the bottom of wrist and through that with a special instrument and camera, we can actually release the pressure on the nerve all the way down and all the way up. So we will release that same entire area of the carpal tunnel that is putting pressure on the nerve, but we can do it through that small incision," said Dr. Nicolescu.
Smaller incisions can lead to less pain for the patient and in many cases a quicker recovery, which makes everyone involved a lot happier. One of those patients is Greg, who is wishing he had listened to his body a little sooner
“I wouldn’t put it off too long. I work with a lot of different guys who have had issues over the years and it seems that the sooner you catch it the better the results and returns are. Some that have had it done, it didn’t work out as well for them, so I would say as soon as you think you have it to start seeing someone about it," Horn said.
Customized Care With You in Mind
In terms of surgical options for carpal tunnel pain there’s no right or wrong choice, it’s just another tool for surgeons to tailor care around each patient.
“Depending on the exact pathology and whether they’ve had previous surgery and their expectations and what they are hoping to get back to, we do tailor it quite a bit. So It really becomes a discussion with each individual,” said Dr. Nicolescu.
With a smaller scar on the wrist rather than the palm, Greg is ready to get fully back to life just two weeks after his surgery
“Very good! Everything is good. No sleepless nights and stuff so it worked out good,” said Horn.
Endoscopic carpal tunnel release is just one tool available for surgeons and patients. Each case is different and your care team will work with you to help develop the best plan for your situation.
Learn more about carpal tunnel release and other orthopedic options for hand pain.
