Carpal Tunnel Release

Carpal tunnel release, also called carpal tunnel decompression surgery, is a surgical treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome in which the transverse carpal ligament is divided to relieve pressure on the median nerve. It is generally used once numbness, muscle weakness or atrophy becomes constant or night splinting no longer controls symptoms, since milder cases can often be managed for months or years while severe cases tend to persist until treated surgically; in the United States alone roughly 500,000 such procedures are performed each year, with an estimated annual economic impact of more than two billion dollars.