Carpel tunnel syndrome 

is a pressure on the nerves that leads to a disorder in the sensitivity of a part of the body some distance from the point of the pressure. The disorder is fairly typical and easily distinguishable. Thus, it is easily diagnosed and resolvable. The most common symptom is the feeling of numbness in the hands, especially at night when the patient wakes up with the feeling of numbness in the fingers, which then goes away upon shaking the hands. Other symptoms include the dropping of objects, the loss of feeling in the fingers or an inadequate response to cold.

The disorder is caused by pressure on the nerve that innervates the thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of the ring finger. The pressure occurs most often in the wrists, where the nerves pass through a narrow space, together with the tendons, to the individual fingers.

Before the operation it is necessary to undergo a neurological examination and an electromyography (EMG) examination as well as a basic examination of the blood and the internal organs. Treatment is performed at the site of local numbness. An anaesthetic is injected into the palm and wrist in two or three shots. Within 2 to 5 minutes, the site is so numbed that it is possible to perform the operation painlessly. The cut is led in the palm, perpendicular to the wrist, for a length of about 3-4 cm. After thorough preparation, the compressed nerve is freed by cutting the transverse ligament on the wrist.

After the out-patient operation the patient goes home immediately to heal. He comes for a check-up and rebandaging on the second or third day after the operation, when the local status is checked. A subsequent check-up is done in 5-7 days after the operation, as needed, and consequently 14 days after the operation, when the stitches are removed. Gradual rehabilitation of the hand’s function is subsequently begun. This may, on a case by case basis, last for up to 6 months.