Phblogger dot Net

If you are one of the many people who grind it out on the computer each day or work with your hands a lot, you surely have developed some stiffness and pain at various points in your career. It may be that the problem nagged for awhile and went away, or might have even spanned only a few hours. You may have brushed up against carpal tunnel syndrome.

The truth is that more people than ever are plagued with carpel tunnel syndrome than ever before, and many let it go untreated for too long. And if you are finally trying to do something about your carpel tunnel symptoms, you may be considering carpel tunnel surgery. If so, you are probably wondering what it involves and the risk associated.

The physiology of carpel tunnel syndrome-in the wrist-is a key to understanding how and why carpel tunnel syndrome occurs. The problem occurs when the median nerve in the wrist becomes compressed. This compression occurs due to the tightening of the transverse carpel ligament that encircles the other ligaments that run in parallel down your arm. Surgery for carpel tunnel syndrome seeks to lessen the pressure being put on the median nerve by the transverse carpel ligament.

When surgery is performed, the surgeon will make a small incision in the palm of the patient’s hand. It is done under twilight anesthesia and is a simple procedure. The surgeon cuts the transverse carpel ligament and this immediately eases the pressure on the median nerve. The ligament does take time to heal and it normally takes from two to six weeks for a full recovery. This surgery creates more room for the other ligaments and is intended to relieve the pain and pressure the patient has been experiencing.

But is surgery right for you? You probably know that any surgery is risky. With carpel tunnel syndrome surgery, you can’t be entirely sure that the symptoms won’t soon return or that other problems may occur such as loss of strength in your hands or arms. Also, as you are dealing with many small nerves, muscles and ligaments in this area, the outcome is completely unpredictable. And on top of that, the price of carpel tunnel surgery can cost up to $10,000. So, you have to ask yourself if the surgery is worth it to you.

And keep in mind there are many alternative methods to preventing carpel tunnel syndrome naturally before resorting to surgery. If you can have a physical therapist recommended to you by your doctor, they can show you some exercise techniques that will help loosen that transverse carpal ligament and return the strength and flexibility to your arms. Regardless of whether you have surgery or not, you will need to spend some time learning these types of stretches and techniques, so you might want to give them a try before resorting to surgery.

Relieving carpal tunnel syndrome can be a tough choice, especially when surgery may seem to fix the issue very quickly. However, you cannot be guaranteed that the results will last and that something else won’t go wrong in your hands and wrist. But with a little forethought, you can might the decision that is right for you.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 2:08 am and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.