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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Or Tendonitis?

Bones, Joints & Muscles | Last Active: Jan 18, 2017 | Replies (21)

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@bernese53

I am actually at Mayo in Rochester for follow-up on my degenerative spine condition. Orthopedics scheduled an appointment with a hand doc and I had an EMG done. Here I thought the numbness and tingling in my hands was diabetic neuropathy...nope....no neuropathy...severe carpal tunnel. The recommended treatment is surgery. Does anyone know anything about recovery from the surgery? How long does it take? Can you drive a car? I am a graduate student and am trying to put the surgery off but no one at the Mayo Clinic thinks it's a great idea!

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Replies to "I am actually at Mayo in Rochester for follow-up on my degenerative spine condition. Orthopedics scheduled..."

I asked that question when I thought I was going to get the surgery done. I've put it off for now but am planning to look into later this year. I think the answer depends. Here's what I found with a search:

This tunnel is narrow, so any swelling can pinch the median nerve and cause pain and other symptoms. A thick ligament just under your skin called the carpal ligament makes up the top of this carpal tunnel. ... Thus, it is usually advised that you do not drive until you can make a tight fist without pain or irritation. May 23, 2016.

Also found a YouTube video answer:
When can I drive after carpal tunnel surgery?
http://bit.ly/2jNAhgH

The hand doctor I had at Mayo Rochester was Dr. Julie Adams who was highly recommended by my Mayo PCP. She said she has done a high number of the carpal tunnel surgeries which gives me good confidence. My wife's sister had the operation and it was botched by a local clinic in a neighboring town in SE Minnesota. She had it fixed with a second surgery at Mayo Rochester but still suffers a little pain from the first one.

John