Wednesday, July 15, 2009

When You've Been Told You Need Carpal Tunnel Surgery

By Tom Nicholson

When you suffer with carpal tunnel syndrome for a period of time, you understand how debilitating the symptoms are when they happen. Numbness through the wrist, hands, and even arms, you can also have pain and lose strength! And just by simply performing your job. This happens when your job is all about repetitive motion (as in typing), this cause the median nerve to be compressed, damaged, or aggravated.

This can wind up making you less productive. Most of the time the sufferers of this carpal tunnel syndrome, are affected mainly in the hands and wrists, but the arms can be affected too including the elbow. Hammering in a repetitive fashion, typing, and throwing are some on the actions that can create this condition. If left untreated this condition can damage nerves permanently. You should at least seek out some treatment to help you regain your ability to work effectively again.

So what happens that might cause carpal tunnel syndrome? Carpel tunnel occurs-in the hands and wrist-when the median nerve is compressed or damaged. This is due to a tightening of the transverse carpal ligament that bundles all of the other ligaments in your wrist tightly. Your median nerve runs along with those inside the wrist. This is what gives you the strength and leverage your hands need to do their jobs.

The transverse carpal ligament becomes compressed when it is subjected to repeated motion, poor posture and too much pressure put on the wrists. If one doesn't have the proper habits when they work, they are essentially exacerbating the issue. It is good to know, however, that there are ways to work through carpel tunnel syndrome and bring some relief to your aching hands.

Surgery is one of the options for dealing with this condition, and some do opt for it. When people have tried other treatments to handle the symptoms of this condition with no luck, they then choose surgery. But be warned that this surgery often harms you more than helps you. Even though the pressure that the median nerve is under is alleviated, this can leave your hands weakened, due to the cutting of the transverse carpal ligament. But no one can ever know the exact affect a surgery can have.

Aside, from that there are several weeks of recovery ahead of you, and a price tag of up to $10,000 to contend with. If your surgery doesn't help you get back to work, then you are certainly in some trouble. Of course, many opt to have only one effected hand done at a time, while trying more natural means on the other hand. And it is good to know that other, natural remedies are available. Exercises and therapy to help stretch you transverse carpal ligament can greatly reduce the chances that you will get carpel tunnel syndrome. Also, wrist and hand massages are essential for anyone who uses their hands a lot.

Consider other options for pain relief, due to carpal tunnel syndrome, before opting for surgery. Statistics show surgery is not always the best way for you to go.

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