Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) and Trigger finger (TF) are two common conditions affecting the hand. Statistics show that about 13 million people in the US are affected by CTS, and another 9 million with TF.
Carpel tunnel is present in the lower palm or on the wrist, a relatively narrow place through which several ligaments and tendons pass, along with the median nerve. CTS is more likely to occur due to changes in the tendons and ligaments that are part of the tunnel, thus causing significant pressure or stress on the median nerve. Regretfully, physically active people are more likely to develop the conditions. Some of its common causes are work stress, repetitive motion, hormonal changes, and trauma.
Increased pressure on the median nerve in CTS causes significant disability. It causes swollen fingers, numbness or tingling sensation, and more. In order to prevent permanent disability, it is essential to remove pressure from the nerve, or else it may lead to a significant loss of grip strength and weakening of hand muscles.
Trigger finger (TF) is quite a different condition from CTS, nonetheless a condition that affects the hand. In this condition, the finger remains locked in a bent position, as if the finger is on the trigger. As a result, one may find it difficult to straighten the finger. The ring finger and thumb are most commonly affected by the conditions. The condition occurs due to the narrowing of the tunnel through which the tendon of these fingers passes.
Carpal Tunnel Release (CTR) procedure and Trigger Finger Release (TFR) procedure
As one can see, though, CTS and TF are quite different kinds of conditions, but both occur due to the narrowing of the tunnel through which nerves and ligaments pass, and therefore, both conditions are treated in a very similar kind of way.
Doctors would often start treating conditions with anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce local inflammation, which may reduce pressure in the tunnels. Doctors may also consider local corticosteroid injections.
However, experience shows that many individuals fail to benefit from conservative treatment, thus requiring surgical interventions.
One of the oldest ways of treating these conditions is through open surgery, through a large incision, and then by relieving the pressure on nerves and tendons. It is an effective treatment. However, a large incision means a long recovery time, scarring, and risk of complications.
Therefore, doctors have come up with minimally invasive procedures. Such minimally invasive procedures are ultrasound-guided CTR (UltraGuideCTR™) and ultrasound-guided trigger finger release (UltraGuideTFR™).
In these procedures, doctors make two miniature holes in the hand. And, for the surgery, they use a special kind of surgical thread. And as one can guess, they use ultrasound to visualize. It means that surgery does not cause much trauma to soft tissues. Not only that, one even does not require stitches after surgery.
Some distinct benefits of the procedure are:
- Ability to return to work or activity within 3 to 6 days
- The procedure can be readily performed in office settings or procedure room, and it does not require hospitalization
- The procedure is done using local anesthesia
- A tiny incision (rather, two small holes) that does not require suturing and does not cause much scarring
- Minimal risk of any complications
UltraGuideCTR™ and UltraGuideCTR™ are among the safest and least traumatic procedures to treat CTS and TF, resulting in quick and prolonged relief.
See more at: https://iorthomd.com/hand-and-wrist/
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