# Carpal Tunnel: Anyone had the surgery?



## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

I've had numbness in some of my fingers forever and sore wrists. Just found out I have carpal tunnel syndrome and will need surgery in the near future. It's not optional at this point; a nerve conduction study showed the nerve in each wrist is very compromised, but not yet irreversibly damaged. Steroid injections two weeks ago helped, but not enough. 

The surgery will be endoscopic and outpatient. 

Interested in the experiences of those who have had this surgery. If you had both wrists done, did you do them both at once? What was your recovery time? When were you back to riding your bike without pain?


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## Dion2994 (Mar 17, 2018)

Had both done endoscopic at same time. Great outcome hardly any pain, took Motrin once after surgery. Could use hands same day. Normal use of hands after 1 week.


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## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

Good to know. Thanks!


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## pitdaddy (Aug 6, 2013)

Endoscopic surgery in both hands back in about 1990. Off work for 30 days. First ten days was uncomfortable.

Best advice given to me when it was discovered I had CTS was to get another job. (Mine was work related.) At the time I wanted to punch the person who told me that. About one year after surgery and changing jobs I paid that person a visit. Told them thank you for their advice because I no longer have the discomfort I used to have.

Stress & repetitive motion will cause flare ups. That happens to me maybe once a year.

Please consider changing your habits to give those wrists a break.


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## Cuyuna (May 14, 2017)

I've done about 300 endoscopic carpal tunnel releases over the years and just had one done under local anesthetic about a week ago. As I expected...it was a piece of cake. No pain, back at work in a couple of days. Today, now that the snow is gone on the paved trails, I took my road bike out for 20 miles. The lack of numbness/tingling in my right hand made the numbness tingling in my left hand all the more annoying. Gotta get the left hand fixed now.


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## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

I'm three and a half weeks out of double carpal tunnel release. If I had to do it again, I'd have the left hand done and the right sometime next winter. That said, I tried riding for about 15 minutes this evening, and the only sore spot left is right at the heel of my palm, right where it rests on my Ergon grips, so I'll wait at least another week before I try again. Really miss being off the bike. Will do elliptical at the gym for a bit of steady state cardio.

All the tingling and numbness is gone!


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## Crankyone (Dec 8, 2014)

I am curious about what the procedure cost you


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## H0WL (Jan 17, 2007)

Crankyone said:


> I am curious about what the procedure cost you


Zip. Standard MediCare plus excellent secondary insurance through my retirement covered 100%.

Perhaps Cuyuna will give a discount rate for mountain bikers. 

Out of pocket, it would be expensive. The hand doc I went to does so many surgeries that he has his own operating suite at the large hospital across the street from his office. Although outpatient, that made it be the whole hospital surgical deal, with a major parade of nurses, nurse anesthetist, anesthetist, whoever put in the IV (Propofol!), surgical assistants, surgeon, then recovery. I got there before 6 am and was out by 11 am. Interestingly, no antibiotics were prescribed, so apparently there's an extremely low risk of infection. Also two visits to the hand therapist, who also removed stitches, checked progress and gave me a few simple exercises.

Progress side note: Yesterday when I did my test ride, trying to pump up my rear bike tire was so painful I gave up on pumping up the front tire.

Eased back into weight lifting yesterday with super light weights (3# and 5#) with lots of reps, some basic rotator cuff exercises with easy stretch exercise tubing, some 6# medicine ball slams, some rows with red tubing, some sets of body weight rows with TRX at a mellow angle, and some kettle bell swings with a 7# kettle bell. The heels of my hands are definitely more tender this morning, but so far so good.

That said, I could keyboard with no problems four or so days after surgery.

Since this is the 50+ thread (I'm almost 70), full disclosure: I have basal thumb arthritis. This surgery has definitely irritated that -- not horribly, but definitely annoying. I don't expect that to be permanent; more that an adjacent area has received some trauma, so mild inflammation with the healing process is my guess.


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