Surgery Beats Splints For Carpal Tunnel

Rio writes: "A local6.com article tells us about a study that suggests surgery may be more effective than splints for treating carpal tunnel syndrome. In the study, 87 patients underwent open carpal tunnel release surgery, in which ligaments surrounding the median nerve are cut to relieve pressure on the nerve, compared to 89 patients who wore a splint for their wrists, which reduced movement. The researchers found that the surgery left 80 percent of patients significantly improved after three months. Splints left only 54 percent significantly improved."

Comments

Watch out with splints

[Otter]

Be careful with the splints. In my experience (anecdotal, obviously) people who tried splints for tendonitis or carpal tunnel problems quickly found themselves going from bad to worse, and improved when they abandoned the splints in favor of being careful.

My impression is that they can cause your muscles to atrophy and fall out of balance. Anyway, be careful with them.