Carpal Tunnel? or CTS Surgery?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi everyone,

I'm still a student but I have a painful case of carpal tunnel syndrome. Symptoms for me started when I was 18 and a senior in high school. Now I'm 21 and a junior in nursing school and my symptoms haven't gotten any better despite trying everything in the book. (Splints for day and night, a cortisone shot, and physical therapy).

I was just wondering if anyone else has had a problem with CTS and how that can potentially affect me while I'm working as an RN or even a CNA/PCT, because I'm hoping to find an assistant job after this semester.

I'm about 90% sure I'm going to get the surgery this December because my hands are basically useless because simple things like brushing my hair and teeth and eating my cereal make my hand go numb. Not to mention the pain, difficulty, and numbness of drawing up injections.

What about any difficulties working as a CNA, PCT, or RN after carpal tunnel release?

For me, this December would be the best time to get the surgery, because not only will I have a full month to recover, but I'll only have 1 clinical next semester and it's my mental health rotation - a lot more "CTS friendly" than med/surg or peds!

Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Carpal tunnel release is a relatively minor procedure that can be done under local anesthetic. The longer you wait to have it done, the higher thn risk that certain muscles start to atrophy. Since you have tried most if not all of the conservative approaches, I would go for the procedure sooner rather than later.

Afterward, there should be no contraindications to any of the positions/tasks that you mentioned.

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It's not the muscle atrophy, it's that the longer a nerve is compressed and damaged the less completely it recovers when the offending compression is resolved. If your physician is recommending surgery, get it done by a hand plastics specialist absolutely as soon as you possibly can. Recovery is not that bad and it's done under local, so you'll be good to go fast.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
It's not the muscle atrophy, it's that the longer a nerve is compressed and damaged the less completely it recovers when the offending compression is resolved. If your physician is recommending surgery, get it done by a hand plastics specialist absolutely as soon as you possibly can. Recovery is not that bad and it's done under local, so you'll be good to go fast.

The hypothenar atrosphy is no picnic either.

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The hypothenar atrosphy is no picnic either.

Totally understand, but the reason it atrophies and doesn't come back is because of the nerve damage. It will come back if the nerve recovers.

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Thanks you guys.

I was more so worried about how my wrist will do if I were to get a PCT/CNA job in Jan or Feb 2014 after having the surgery in Dec.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Actively using your hands/arms after carpal tunnel release is the best therapy. There is no "repair" to worry about damaging, there is only the release of a binding tendon. Working post-op will be fine, provided that the small incision has healed completely.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

I had bilateral carpal tunnel release in 1998 & have never had another problem. Recovery was about 2 weeks & I've never had to have any restrictions on what I can do. If you're having all the trouble you describe, you should get it done ASAP. It also is not the least bit painful & the scar disappears into the creases at the base of your palm.

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Just an update for those researching these boards for different reasons (like i sometimes do when i'm stumped!). I got the surgery in December and I immediately felt relief! I was in a cast for about 2 weeks and it was only that long cause of the winter holidays. I was able to full bend my wrist in each direction within 48 hours of the cast removal. Today, 5 months later, I can't put all my weight on my hand yet but I make a fist when I need to support myself and that has worked just fine. I see a little weakness in my hand when I'm doing various things for my PCT job (like when I was putting on compression stockings on my patient) but otherwise I don't notice. My left hand has been increasingly bad so I've been thinking of getting the surgery again in August, which is the next time I'll have a two week break from nursing school (the next long "break" will be after graduation :))

Good luck to other nurses/students with CTS!

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