The carpal tunnel operation is performed under a local anaesthetic and involves opening the roof of the tunnel to reduce the pressure on the nerve. Afterward, the site of the operation will be covered by a small adhesive dressing. We typically use soluble stitches which dissolve or fall out within a week or two. However, in some cases traditional stitches are required, where we will advise that the stitches in your hand need to be removed at our clinic 10-14 days after the operation.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a condition where the median nerve is compressed as it passes through a short tunnel at the wrist. This tunnel contains the tendons that bend the fingers and thumb as well as the nerve. CTS commonly affects women in middle age but can occur at any age in men or women. CTS may be associated with swelling in the tunnel which may be caused by inflammation of the tendons, a fracture of the wrist, wrist arthritis and other less common conditions. In most cases, the cause is not identifiable.

If your job does not involve any heavy work, you can go back to work as soon as you feel ready following your carpal tunnel decompression surgery. If it does then you should take a whole week off to recover. You will recover quicker the sooner you return to normal day to day activities. After 2 weeks you should be able to do all your normal work. If your work involves heavy manual lifting or repetitive hand and finger movements you will need to be more gentle, as recovery time may vary dependent on the severity of the carpal tunnel syndrome

When the local anaesthetic is injected into the skin of the hand you will feel some discomfort, but as soon as it takes effect, you should feel no pain. After your carpal tunnel decompression, you may have some degree of discomfort for 3-4 weeks requiring pain relief.