Thread Carpal Tunnel Release
Dear Dr Bland,
My apologies if I am in the wrong Forum, but I wanted to ask this question of you, which could also be of general interest. I have a CTS problem for which surgery has been recommended, but I would be keen to avoid a big scar in the base of my palm if I could.
You mention Thread Release in your excellent site. I have searched the Net but the only references I can find are reports dating from 2014 - 16, and they seem to be mostly about experiments using cadavers. So my question is : is any surgeon in the UK (and preferably in London) actually using this method ? And if so, would you recommend it ?
If not, of course, I guess I'll accept my GP's suggestion of the Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith (or anywhere else that you might recommend... )
Thank you,
Steve
So far as I am aware the only person doing this is in the USA. He has published some of the results in actual patients. There are a fair number of people carrying out endoscopic release in the UK but in my view it is not likely that any of the 'clever' operations will substantially reduce the overall incidence of complications because many of the risks of carpal tunnel surgery result from cutting the ligament - and all forms of surgery do that because that is the point of the operation. Avoiding the superficial scar at the heel of the hand only gets round the problem that a few scars at that site can be tender. For most people the best way of avoiding the complications of surgery is not to operate on it. JB