Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Is Surgery the Only Answer For Carpal Tunnel Pain and Numbness?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Is Surgery the Only Answer For Carpal Tunnel Pain and Numbness?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Merrow]Kathryn Merrow

How badly does your carpal tunnel syndrome bother you?

Do you wake up during the night with tingling, pain or numbness in your hands?  Do your symptoms (tingling, pain and numbness) bother you during the day?  Do your symptoms make it hard for you to do your work or to do the things that you enjoy?

If that is the situation that you are in, you probably have already talked to your doctor about relief for your carpal tunnel syndrome.  Perhaps that conversation included the possibility of carpal tunnel surgery.

When people hurt really badly, they can feel desperate.  Desperate people will go to almost any measures in order to feel good.

And, sometimes carpal tunnel surgery is the only answer.

There are situations when nothing else can eliminate the pain, numbness and tingling of carpal tunnel syndrome.  Those situations might include injury or damage to the wrist, where the carpal tunnel is located.  Those situations might also include having a genetically small carpal tunnel, which is rare.

Here's the reason to have carpal tunnel surgery.  The carpal tunnel is a small area in your wrist.  There are bones on three sides and tough tissue on the fourth side.  That does not leave much room for the nerves that run through your carpal tunnel.  If something causes pressure on the median nerve, then it causes the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Pressure on the other nerve tissue that runs through your carpal tunnel will also cause pain or numbness sensations in different parts of your fingers and hand.

If pressure on the nerves continues long enough, there is the possibility of permanent nerve damage. Nerves do not like being pressed on for long periods of time.

There may be other ways to take the pressure off the nerves which run through your carpal tunnel.  Carpal tunnel surgery should be a last resort.

If you go to a conservative doctor, he or she may offer to send you to physical therapy first.  He may suggest anti-inflammatories, therapeutic massage, a brace or other modalities. That doctor knows that if you take the pressure off the structures inside the carpal tunnel, you will allow natural healing to take its course.

However, if you go to a surgeon for an opinion, his first offer will most likely be carpal tunnel surgery.  That's what he was trained in and that's what he does best.  It seems that most surgeons generally look for a reason to operate.  If you're going for an opinion, don't go to a surgeon first.

At any rate, your doctor is looking for a way to help prevent permanent nerve damage in your carpal tunnel.  She may be able to do that with conservative measures or she may feel that you need surgery.

When you talk with your doctor about carpal tunnel surgery, listen carefully, take notes and ask good questions.

Ask:


Why is your doctor proposing the surgery?
What does he believe caused your carpal tunnel symptoms?  (Note: the usual cause is soft tissue and muscle.)
What does he expects the outcome to be?
How long does he expect you will have benefit?  (If he doesn't get the right cause, the symptoms will come back.)
How long will your recovery be?
Is there anything else he thinks you should try before agreeing to carpal tunnel surgery?
How many carpal tunnel surgeries has he done before?


You may have other questions that you would like to have answers for, also.

Remember, your doctor is a service provider for you.  Her job is to help you eliminate your carpal tunnel pain and make good decisions about your treatment.  When she answers your questions that will make your decision easier.

An informed patient is more likely to make a good decision.

The more information you have about the causes of your pain and ways to help carpal tunnel syndrome, the better your chances of a good recovery.

Now I'd like to invite you to discover more ways to relieve your carpal tunnel discomfort naturally at http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com Begin your journey to becoming pain-free. Let me, Kathryn Merrow, The Pain Relief Coach, be your helpful guide to a pain-free life.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome---Is-Surgery-the-Only-Answer-For-Carpal-Tunnel-Pain-and-Numbness?&id=1766485] Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Is Surgery the Only Answer For Carpal Tunnel Pain and Numbness?