The human hand is an absolute wonder of design. It has amazing dexterity, and it has the ability to do hard work or to pick up something that is fine and delicate. Something that surprises most people is that their fingers have absolutely no muscles. Their fingers work like puppets on a string. All of the strength and coordination for the movement that your fingers do is controlled by the muscles in your forearm. In order for your forearm muscles to control your hands and in order for the information to be sent from your forearm to your fingers and vice versa, nerves and ligaments must pass through a small space in your wrist known as the carpal tunnel.

Unfortunately, as a result of repeated use, or as the result of injury, tendons or ligaments in the carpal tunnel may start to swell. This puts pressure on the median nerve and leads to you experiencing carpal tunnel pain. Carpal tunnel release surgery is designed to relieve some of the pressure that the transverse carpal ligament may be putting on your median nerve. The end goal is to remove carpal tunnel pain.

The surgery begins with the doctor making an incision at the base of the palm of your hand. This allows the doctor to look at the transverse carpal ligament and see where it needs to be opened and worked on in order to relieve the pressure.

Carpal tunnel release surgery is usually an outpatient surgery. This means you don’t have to stay overnight in a hospital. After this surgery, most carpal tunnel sufferers have the benefit of being able to use their hands without pain. The numbness, the tingling and the discomfort associated with carpal tunnel syndrome subsides. Of course, since you just had surgery on your hand, it is important that you give your hand the necessary time to heal.

Patients who have carpal tunnel surgery are relieved when they are able to go back to living a normal life. They are happy to have strength in their hands again. They are thrilled to go about their everyday tasks without feeling excruciating pain and without dropping things because of unnecessary tingling.

The human hand is the most useful instrument that mankind has. When a person has carpal tunnel syndrome, their most important tool is hampered. Carpal tunnel release surgery at the office of Albert R. Swafford M.D., Inc. has the benefit of giving you this tool back. We invite you to schedule a consultation at our office in Bakersfield to learn more.

Contact us today to book an appointment!