Tips for Recovery
19 June 2018 - 6:48am
Hello, I have CTS in both hands and have surgery for my right hand coming up on July 24, 2018. I’m hoping patients who have had surgery can share with me some tips for recovery. Things I should prepare ahead of time? Things I should buy ahead of time? Things that helped or hindered in your recovery? Thanks in advance!
You will find a lot of practical advice of that type in the facebook group 'I survived carpal tunnel surgery'. Our general advice to patients is that this is mostly a fairly uneventful minor procedure - at least the way we do it. Plan on being unable to do much with the operated hand for 48 hours because of the dressings. Most people don't require any more than simple analgesia (paracetamol or ibuprofen). You should be back using the fingers for light activities as soon as the dressings come off and we would actively encourage you to keep the fingers moving. Very strenuous tasks that might rip the scar open should be avoided for at least a couple of weeks. Most of our patients are back to driving by ten days or so post-op. Individual surgeons have widely varying post-operative regimes so you should listen to whatever your surgeon says. JB