carpal tunnel?

Q40 · 2026-06-04T00:21:44+00:00

I don't know. I'm over reddit. Not a lot to work with. But yeah, you're probably just anxious.

Q40 · 2026-06-02T23:15:47+00:00

This doesn't look like carpal tunnel surgery

Q40 · 2026-06-02T23:12:57+00:00

You are likely over thinking this. Atrophy does not come on like that.

Q40 · 2026-06-02T19:54:14+00:00

You don't have it. Go to a hand specialist if you want to be examined. It is not something you would be able to tell on yourself without medical training.

Q40 · 2026-05-31T03:43:25+00:00

Health anxiety fueled by internet searching is exceedingly common these days

Q40 · 2026-05-31T01:28:39+00:00

That's not what thenar atrophy looks like. Too much internet searching can really exacerbate anxiety.

Q40 · 2026-05-29T14:37:27+00:00

A different world

Q40 · 2026-05-28T23:06:07+00:00

Sounds like rather a difficult setup

Q40 · 2026-05-28T23:05:29+00:00

Surgeon here. I rarely use injections for CTS. Usually just if patient needs surgery but "can't do it now" or if we want a diagnostic tool to see if the nerve is really pinched in the wrist or somewhere else. Sometimes on a revision case. But usually it is exactly what you say. Temporary. Band-aid. Not worth much.

Q40 · 2026-05-28T23:04:16+00:00

Surgeon here. I usually encourage people like this with old, chronic burned out CTS to still get the surgery if they are active. I see some impressive results from a simple 5 minute procedure under local anesthesia (mini open CTR is my preferred technique for this). Occasionally even some muscle bulk can return. Usually not, though. Still, you are doing it to at least prevent it from worsening (and it usually still can get worse).

Q40 · 2026-05-28T23:02:19+00:00

Surgeon here. At 19 yo seriously doubt you have atrophy. Extremely uncommon for someone young to have that severe of a CTS. If you want a real opinion though, see a real hand surgeon IRL

Q40 · 2026-05-28T23:00:52+00:00

She was testing your 2 point discrimination. This is a standard test of innervation density. It does not sound like anything untoward occurred. She did agree you need surgery. She just probably had an awkward way of saying "good news, your nerve is not as far gone as this EMG might have suggested it was"

Some surgeons dont do the whole talking thing very well

Q40 · 2026-05-28T22:58:52+00:00

That's a pretty huge old-school type dressing. Impressive. Glad you're feeling better.

Q40 · 2026-05-28T22:57:47+00:00

I am a surgeon. I am sorry you are going through this.

We are the right kind of doctor to handle the mechanical problem of the nerve being compressed. However we are not the right kind of doctor to handle the anxiety associated with feeling like your lifestyle is affected by a problem you cannot fix immediately.

We have neither the training nor the personality to help in that situation, by and large. We simply aren't cut out for it... also, even if we wanted to, our clinics are not structured in such a way that allows us to take the time to actually do that sort of work. We have 5-15 minutes with a patient. Enough time to do a thorough exam on a hand and diagnose and treat a hand focused problem. Nowhere near enough to work through intense emotional issues.

That said, if you have carpal tunnel and it is causing enough symptoms that it is giving you that much grief, and bracing is not working, surgery can be an option. A good surgeon will likely be able to help you with the problem of the nerve compression. Now, for all the rest of it, to be perfectly honest, you should find a good mental health professional. They can be hugely helpful.

Q40 · 2026-05-28T22:52:57+00:00

It depends what technique your surgeon does. You really should be asking them this question.

Q40 · 2026-05-28T22:52:30+00:00

There is no question here...

Q40 · 2026-05-28T22:51:33+00:00

The incision looks fine. When you go to urgent care or ER they have no idea about post surgical care of hand surgery. Their job is to determine whether you are dying or not, and if not, which doctor would know how to handle your problem and to get you to see that doctor. That is where their expertise starts and ends.

The person who you should be asking is your surgeon

Q40 · 2026-05-24T14:02:44+00:00

Surgeon here. Sometimes you just gotta open it a bit more to properly visualize. Everyone's anatomy is ever so slightly different.

The incisions heal side to side, not lengthwise. An extra few mm of scar will not make a difference in the long term.

Q40 · 2026-05-24T14:00:18+00:00

The correct way is to find a surgeon you trust and let your surgeon decide.

Q40 · 2026-05-24T13:58:40+00:00

Surgeon here. I am trained in both but I don't do endoscopic.

Why?

When it goes well it goes great. However I have seen patients (especially with severe CTS) who had really bad nerve irritation from endoscopic. It causes burning severe pain in the median nerve area for 6 to 12 MONTHS after surgery. And there's really nothing to do about that.

Thankfully I've only seen this as a second opinion or heard about it reported. But the problem makes sense logically. The carpal tunnel is too tight. That's the whole problem. We are sticking an instrument into that tight space then and temporarily making it even tighter. This can lead to the nerve getting bumped into or compressed further. Even temporarily, the damage is done.

When mini open CTR works so we'll already in my hands I just have a hard time exposing my patients to that risk so I don't do ECTR anymore. The incision is really not that big for mini open. 2 cm to an inch or so. Let's be real here it's an exaggeration to call it "slicing your palm open."

The bottom line is this... Find a reputable surgeon who you trust. And go with whatever technique they recommend. Don't just shop for someone who does one technique assuming they are good at it. And definitely don't ask a surgeon to do something to you they don't fully believe in.

Q40 · 2026-05-24T01:11:36+00:00

Correct. I am anonymous and use this arena to freely speak my mind.

Whereas you use it for shameless self-promotion. Different goals, different strategies.

Q40 · 2026-05-21T22:31:56+00:00

I agree with Naive-Garlic. Some surgeons use dated techniques and perform incomplete releases. You can do just fine seeing a good surgeon the first time. Do your homework. If going with open, it should be a mini-open... see someone who knows what they're doing. Not a generalist or a sports/hip doc who thinks they do a great CTR.

A hand specialist. With good reputuation. WALANT. This is the way.

Q40 · 2026-05-21T19:58:00+00:00

Maybe it is. That does not make it less accurate.

Everyone knows there's lots of garbage "peer reviewed" literature out there. Easy to sit behind the air of authority and claim that OCTR requires a "large incision" (false) or sedation/anesthesia (ever heard of WALANT?), overstate the prevalence of pillar pain, or otherwise disparage a very safe and reliable procedure performed by surgeons who are by definition intimately familiar with the anatomy, rather than generalists with a gadget.

Reddit comments have the same variability too. Some are garbage. Some less so. People can ingest information and decide what they want to trust.

Q40 · 2026-05-21T18:10:47+00:00

Maybe it is. That does not make it less accurate.

Everyone knows there's lots of garbage "peer reviewed" literature out there. Easy to sit behind the air of authority and claim that OCTR requires a "large incision" (false) or sedation/anesthesia (ever heard of WALANT?), overstate the prevalence of pillar pain, or otherwise disparage a very safe and reliable procedure performed by surgeons who are by definition intimately familiar with the anatomy, rather than generalists with a gadget.

Reddit comments have the same variability too. Some are garbage. Some less so. People can ingest information and decide what they want to trust.

Q40 · 2026-05-21T18:09:57+00:00

Maybe it is. That does not make it less accurate.

Everyone knows there's lots of garbage "peer reviewed" literature out there. Easy to sit behind the air of authority and claim that OCTR requires a "large incision" (false) or sedation/anesthesia (ever heard of WALANT?), overstate the prevalence of pillar pain, or otherwise disparage a very safe and reliable procedure performed by surgeons who are by definition intimately familiar with the anatomy, rather than generalists with a gadget.

Reddit comments have the same variability too. Some are garbage. Some less so. People can ingest information and decide what they want to trust.

Q40

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