Carpal Tunnel Surgery Is Not For Everyone

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by Tom Nicholson

You’ve heard the condition of carpal tunnel syndrome before, but you never thought you’d have it. Years of bad posture, stress, and too much time at the computer keyboard have left you with pain in your wrists, weakness and numbness. You have read up on the subject and are torn about whether or not you should have surgery for your condition. Perhaps even your doctor has recommended it!

You should think very hard before having surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. The fact is that many people suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome but have found alternative methods of relieve rather than resort to surgery. Surgery can solve the problem quickly, but is it as long lasting as you need it to be? Is it even in your price range?

Understanding why carpal tunnel syndrome happens is important in helping you decide your course of action. Most carpal tunnel syndrome happens in the wrists. It comes from typing too long, throwing a baseball, painting, or any job that requires a repeated action. The result of this repeated action causes the transverse carpal ligament to tighten up. The transverse carpal ligament is the ligament that bundles all of your other ligaments together at the wrist.

As the transverse carpal ligament tightens, the other ligaments put pressure on the median nerve. When this nerve becomes agitated and sore, it can cause numbness, lack of strength and even great pain in the hand, wrist, fingers and even the arm. This can create problems for those who rely on their wrists and arms to do their jobs. Still thinking about surgery?

The surgical procedures for carpal tunnel are not hard to do, but it is an invasive procedure. The surgeon will sever the transverse carpal ligament. Initially this is not a problem, but over time, it can cause weakness in the arms and into the hands over time. Most people do benefit from the relief of pressure right away, though.

You will need at least six weeks to recover which includes therapy. The procedure does have risks and it will only be known what it has accomplished after healing has been completed. It is because of these aspects of surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome that some individuals look for alternative treatments. To loosen the ligament, try stretching it regularly especially right before and after the repetitive motion. When you flex this ligament in this way, you keep the amount of pressure to the bare minimum. In addition to this, you should incorporate proper posture into your activities.

Avoid constantly performing the activity without a short break. This surgery is expensive, costing more than $10,000 in most cases, definitely worth stretching!

However, if other methods have failed to relieve your carpal tunnel pain, then it may be that surgery is right for you. Make sure you get some second opinions and know all of the conditions that apply to your surgery. Some time spent working with your doctor and physical therapist before hand can go a long way.

About the Author:

How much do you really know about carpal tunnel syndrome? Many people do not actually understand the nature of repetitive stress injuries. There are many methods of effective treatment that can be explored. Be sure you understand all there is to know - click on this link to learn about carpal tunnel surgery.

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