Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition characterized by burning pain in the wrist/hand/fingers that can radiate up the arm and tends to be worse at night as well asnumbness and tingling in your thumb, index, and middle fingers. Surgery may be necessary in case the condition does not get better with conservative treatment. Let’s look at the differences between the two types of surgery - endoscopic and open carpal tunnel surgery.
- Incision size: Open carpal tunnel surgery incisions may be 3 to 4 cm in length. Endoscopic carpal tunnel incisions are much smaller at approximately 1 cm. This results in less scar tissue formation after endoscopic surgery.
- Blood loss: There is minimal blood loss with endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery due to the smaller incisions and less damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.
- Recovery Period: Patients generally have less postoperative pain after endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery and also recover gripping and pinching strength as well as function in the hand/wrist sooner.
- Risks and complications: There is increased risk of persistent hand/wrist pain and scar tenderness following open surgery as compared to endoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery.
Some of the Risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome are hereditary, fluid/weight gain, strenuous repetitive use of the hands, injuries and medical conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, or hypothyroidism are at a higher risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
If you have hand/wrist pain that is interfering with your routine activities and you have not been able to obtain relief of symptoms with non-surgical options such as rest, physical therapy or activity modification , you should be evaluated by a hand specialist. Book an appointment for an in-depth evaluation and a personalized treatment recommendation.
Dr. Daneca DiPaolo is a highly skilled, board certified orthopedic surgeon and hand specialist located in Grenada, Mississippi. She offers the newest orthopedic techniques, and she provides quality, compassionate, state of the art orthopedic care. For all appointments and inquiries, please call (662) 227-7794.
