Most of the Time Carpal Tunnel Surgery Doesn’t Work
Most of the time carpal tunnel surgery doesn’t work. This might sound shocking to some, but it’s true. As a massage therapist, I’ve worked on quite a few people who have had carpal tunnel surgery and continue to have symptoms.
When you get carpal tunnel surgery the doctor cuts the transverse carpal ligament. This is the roof of the carpal tunnel. Cutting this tissues gives the median nerve (compression of this nerve causes the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome) more room. This relieves pressure on the nerve. The relief of pressure is usually only temporary due to the formation of scar tissue after the surgery. Many times the surgery has to be repeated two years later. The surgery can also lead to loss of grip strength and has a 57% failure rate with some or all of the symptoms returning from one day to six years after surgery.
When people feel the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome starting they’re scared. I understand. I’ve had these symptoms. When I’m not taking proper care of myself they reoccur. When you feel these symptoms coming on go to your doctor and get a diagnosis, but don’t let your doctor scar you into getting surgery right away. There are other alternative treatments to carpal tunnel syndrome. Try the self massage methods from my previous article on this subject. I also suggest trying this product. The cumbersome wrist splints that the doctor gives you to wear usually do more harm than good. Keeping your wrists immobile won’t solve the problem.
There is no cure to carpal tunnel syndrome. Once you have it, you have the risk of it reoccurring if you continue the same physical behaviors that gave you the problem in the first place. Concentrate on keeping your wrists in a relaxed neutral position when you perform tasks. Don’t let them be overly flexed or extended. When I feel symptoms of carpal tunnel reoccurring, I start doing self massage and wrists exercises immediately.
Find alternatives to surgery that are right for you.
Photo by daveparker.
Nice post…and very true. I would suggest also neuromuscular massage therapy techniques as this relieves the muscle tension that causes CT to begin with. Keeping the muscles relaxed is the key to keeping that nerve channel open. You can learn to do something called trigger pointing too if you ask your therapist to teach you how to recover from a flare up using the technique. Blessings!!
@Greenwoman
Those are all very good points. Neuromuscular massage works well. Getting the muscles loose from the hand all the way up to the neck on the effected side also helps tremendously.