Pain 3 months after carpal tunnel release
Hi looking for some help
I had crs on 6th October 2014 in my right hand. My symptoms before were bad tingling, trigger digits and pain and a sensation that I can beat describe as a feeling of an elastic band snapping in my forearm. As soon as I had the surgery the tingling dissapeared and so did the trigger digits.
I am now 3 months Post op and still in a lot of pain right up to my elbow. The pain is mainly in my wrist, below my thumb and up to my elbow .
After surgery I was given no info about how to help healing like excercises etc, I wasn't even told I was to have my bandages removed after 5 days ( mines stayed on for 10)
I was told my median nerve was badly compressed and that I was missing a tendon in my wrist ( no idea what one ) and that I was very young for needing this surgery ( I'm 25 year old male, and had the symptoms since I was 15)
I am still in a lot of pain everyday and it if badly affecting me . My job involves lots of lifting and carrying but I didn't go back to work til I was 8 weeks post op.
Is it normal to still be in this much pain 3 months later, basic tasks are still difficult, and the pain seems worse than before , because it is now constant ? I had no nerve tests done before surgery etc
Any info/ advice would be much appreciated
Adam
A few patients do get persistent problems with pain of various kinds after surgery. Fortunately this is not very common but there are some suggestions that it may be more common in people who use the hands a lot for heavy manual tasks. The immediate improvement in your symptoms after surgery makes it likely that the operation was performed correctly, though it's a pity there were no pre-operative nerve conduction studies, especially in someone who seems to have been an atypical presentation (ie a young male). Is there a family history of CTS? Is the pain aggravated by leaning on the heel of the hand or by grip/use of the hand? Does it spread into the fingers, and if so which ones? FInally, is there any visible colour change in the hand or orther change in the skin or any change in sweating in that hand? Even without pre-operative tests I would still be inclined to have some NCS done now though they may be hard to interpret. JB