After the first carpal tunnel release surgery was performed 80 years ago, this has become the most common hand surgery. It is almost always performed under local anaesthesia. The pinched nerve in the carpal tunnel may be released by conventional surgery, i.e. by making an S-shaped incision in the hand and wrist, thus accessing the nerve affected. In the last decade, a surgical technique called endoscopy has become widely used: the surgeon guides an endoscope through a small incision in the wrist and cuts into the ligament that is pressing on the nerve. Regardless of the surgical technique used, the goal of the surgery is to release the median nerve. In severe cases of nerve entrapment, a microscope may be used. The procedure is completed by checking if there is any bleeding and by inserting a narrow tube that prevents the occurrence of post-operative haematoma. The hand is wrapped in a thick layer of gauze and wadding.

You will need to stay in hospital for some time to rest, while your arm will be kept in a sling. You will be given all necessary aftercare instructions. After returning home, the operated arm should still be kept in a sling, and at night it should rest elevated on a pillow. You can take painkillers, but usually this will not be necessary. On the first post-operative day, a post-surgery check-up takes place. In the outpatient examination, the tube that has been inserted during the surgery is removed, and the lower arm is set into a plaster cast. You will be encouraged to exercise the fingers and keep the arm in a sling for a few more days. In most of the patients, the pain and the tingling feeling in the fingers, which have been present before the treatment, are already starting to disappear.

On the tenth day following the surgery, you will have another post-surgery check-up: in most cases, the wound has healed so the sutures can be removed. The splint that you were wearing prior to surgery is put on the hand again. You should wear it at all times except when washing the hand. The incision scar from surgery should be massaged with oily cream. After four weeks you may remove the splint and start using the hand freely.