can carpal tunnel return after surgury 10 years later

Hi sammyboy902 and welcome to ehealth: From every indication I have heard the answer would be yes...However, I am not a professional and as a novice I wonder if it rids itself after surgery?...The wrist is such a delicate joint...I guess only if we protect it and baby it during the course of our life, will it serve us as long as we live...At least this is what I am finding...Good luck...

Caroline

hi sammy
my aunt had carpal tunnel surgery and 12 yrs later it came back she saw a orthapedic surgeon again shes now wearing wrist splints
i also have had carpal tunnel surgery but unfortunatly my surgery didnt go so well and now im worse than i was before the pain is terrible
anyway hope u r ok
takecare
lisanmaria

I had my sugery three years and also two trigger finger releases and I was tested again for carpel tunnel after a year of the surgery and the doctor says I still have carpal tunnel,I am starting to get the trigger thumb again and after doing a little yard work they are starting to hurt again and feel like someone is squeezing my wrists, I am also feeling shooting pain up my arms. So I would say yes it can come back.

I had the surgery 11 years ago and the symptoms are now back in mt right thumb and index finger. I note them getting stronger every day now for over a week.

I had my CTS about 11-12 years ago and recently started having pains in my left hand again and that is why I looked up this info. I felt that it might be scare tissue doing this to me. And it looks like I was right. I am wearing a brace,but I will not go through surgery again right now. Good Luck to all who have this, cause not one else knows how we feel.
God Bless

Hello to all,

After reading all your answers and being that they are from actual personal experiences, they have really helped and gave me an answer to what I had been wondering ever since my father had his surgery and still has not gotten full use of his right hand. Now his left hand has the same issue and I know I will not allow him to move forward with this surgery until all other resources are exhausted.

Does anyone know of other types of treatment for carpal tunnel besides cortisone injections?

Thanks

Hi ID2002 and welcome to ehealth.....Resting them...Typing on a computer in a pull out drawer that is lower than a table top...This is the way that I was taught in high school and not on a desk...Running hot water under them at night before you go to bed....I think arthritis plays a major role in CT....I think (my opinion) that more and more people will find this affliction in years to come...I would blame this on texting, computers and everyday life...Kind of a progress thing...I hope he gets better...Take care...

Caroline

CarolineEF

Thank You, for your advice. I will have my dad try it tomorrow night and see if it helps. Have you ever wondered or asked what the future consequences are from having this surgery done? Like when your hands are less mobile, say like in your late 60's? Is there like nerve damage? I posted a question to see if a Dr. might be able to answer this for me.

Hi again: Address your question to the Ask A Doctor at the top of this page...It is the 3rd from the left tab...This way the doctor should be answering you....Take care...

Caroline

I had CTS after destroying my hands doing way too much pounding construction work over the course of 2 days. (dug 6 * 48" deep post holes thru gravel, uprooted multiple large rhododendrons and relocated them, broke up some cement steps and hauled the pieces away in a wheelbarrow...all in a misty rain with bad work gloves). Never had an issue before that with my hands, but developed immediate severe bi-lateral CTS from that single 2-day event. Had CTS surgery on both hands about 4 months later. That was about 5 or 6 years ago. Now, with this fine New England winter we're having in 2011, I was breaking ice dams on 3 houses (mine and 2 friends') one day with a 3-lb. sledge hammer on a ladder...and my CTS is definitely back again. I'm totally bummed. I was able to do anything I wanted up until now. Should have known not to do the pounding activity again. My bad. But yes, it can definitely be caused by incredible trauma to the hands...and yes, you can get pretty much full capabilities back....and yes, it can come back.

There is such a thing as failed median release or failed surgery. After 4 hand surgeries I now have worse symptoms of CTS. I also have 2 trigger fingers since surgery.

redflower1,

Certainly, a carpal tunnel release (CTR) can fail.

Usually, the most common reason for a CTR to fail, is that the patient did not actually have carpal tunnel syndrome in the first place.


However, if the patient had electrical studies and exam consistent with significnat compression of the median nerve, then a failure of a CTR has to be evaluated as to when the "failure" occured.

If the patient has absolutely no change in symptoms after the release, then usually there has been an incomplete release of the tight structures over the median nerve. It usually means that there is still a tight band in the forearm or at the distal edge of the transverse carpal ligament (the two most common places to miss a tight band when doing a release). It is more common for an incomplete release to be done during an endoscopic CTR, than during an open release, but it is still possible in both. This is usually a pretty easy problem to fix, just finish the release, making sure to release all of the tight fascial bands.


If the patient has a period of relief of the symptoms after the release, but then the symptoms return, then usually the cause is the formation of scar tissue around the median nerve. Unfortunately, this can be a very difficult problem to treat.

If the patient has formed scar tissue around the nerve after surgery once, then just doing the surgery again will usually not take care of the problem, it usually makes it worse (the patient just forms more scar tissue). There are some procedures which can be done, to protect the nerve, such as wrapping the nerve in a vein graft, covering the nerve with a fat graft, or using a silicone sleeve to cover the nerve. But, again, unfortunately, the results after these procedures is usually just not as good as a primary release.


As to the trigger fingers, they could be related or totally separate. Some patients develop a lot of inflammation, swelling, and scarring after hand surgery. If so, this can lead to inflammation and swelling in the flexor tendon sheaths, which is what causes inflammatory tenosynovitis (trigger finger).

Usually, trigger finger can be treated easily with injection(s) of steroid into the tendon sheath. In the 1% that do not respond to steroid injections, then a release of the A1 pully can be performed.



But, since you have had four hand surgeries, it is very important to determine how much the median nerve is now affected. Then, you and your surgeon will have to determine how you want to proceed from there.

Good luck.