Skiing after Carpal Tunnel Surgery?

[Luv2Ski]

Has anyone on this forum had carpal tunnel surgery? If so I am curious to hear about the experience. How long & difficult was the recovery? How long before you were able to ski again? Did you experience any complications or permanent loss of grip strength? I know plenty of people who have had the surgery with great success, however none of them are athletes who lift weights and ski regularly so I am hoping maybe some of you can provide more relevant insight on the subject.

[JDskiNECA]

Well no one is answering your question so here goes. I have a friend that rides and raced dirt bikes have both of his hands done and he came out fine. I want to say he had each one done six months apart so a year of down time at least.

 

My experience is some what different. I had a job at a lumber mill that caused my initial carpal tunnel issue. I had pain that would wake me up at night feeling like both of my arms from elbows to finger tips were in a vice clamping down. As long as I had the specific job I had the problem. This dates back to my early 20s in the mid 1980s. Then riding and racing a bike for years my hands would go numb but not the vice like crushing pain. Then I had an accident with a chain saw cutting my left arm elbow to wrist.

 

I had multiple tendon transfers to regain use of my left arm/hand. During the reconstructive surgery the surgeon opened the carpal tunnel and said I should no longer have the finger tingling and pain I have had in the past. Once I learned to reuse my arm again and returned to a bike I still had the numbness and tingling in my left hand just like in my right hand that never had the procedure done.

 

To this date anytime I am on a bike or run a gas weed eater or wrench on a project, or too much time behind the boat my hands get tingly. Weed eater is the worst. So my experience is not typical. I am one who believes surgery is a last option. Things need to be pretty bad before I will risk being put under, infection, and down time. I am not a good patient. I have been a nurse for over 27 years and health care for over 30 years. Hopefully someone with a more typical experience will chime in.

 

Stopping what is causing the inflammation is the best option. I wore wrist braces while working in the lumber mill. Then I also wore the braces in bed when sleeping and this did help. But for me the issue has never been completely resolved.

 

[Luv2Ski]

@JDskiNECA Thank you for responding!!! I thought it was awfully quiet for such a "common" issue. Surely I can't be the only athlete who has experienced this. I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel back in 2016 on both sides. Up until 3 weeks ago it was just random annoying tingling that would easily go away by switching positions, or shaking out my hands. It was so random that it could be a year before I would have an episode. It would maybe flair up for a couple weeks, but then go away for a year or more. This year it started happening regularly at night, but again, it was just tingling and it would stop if I changed positions. 3 weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night with 2 numb hands and the same feeling you describe of my wrist and forearm being in a vice. My hands were seriously numb as if I did not own any hands! It was very scary. I got up, moved around and it took a long time for any feeling to come back.This happened 3 nights in a row and I just couldn't get any sleep so I went to an Ortho hand specialist right away. He recommend nerve testing again (which I did do in 2016) and my apt. is this Wed. Sept. 1st. I have been wearing braces every night and going to airrosti, stretching, icing, etc.... Nothing is helping. Every single night this happens, and every single night I don't sleep. The only thing that makes it stop is getting out of bed and swinging my arms up and down for a long time and pacing the house. During the day it's non stop tingling when I type, brush my hair, try to ski, talk on the phone, etc.... pretty much anything and everything sets it off. The vice feeling and numbness only happens at night. The other pain I can describe in addition to the vice (during the day) is that it feels like someone is trying to twist each finger off one by one with a pair of pliers! It freakin hurts! My fingers just ache in all the joints and I get weird shooting, pains through my hands or maybe like charly horse cramps? Not sure how to describe it. I'm not sure what caused this to go from zero to 100 over night but it's awful! I've had not change in routine or diet, so it's a mystery to me why it all of the sudden got so bad. I have a curve handle when I ski, and I have a professional personal trainer. I stretch up a storm and am very healthy. I know the ortho is going to say let's go to surgery right away, but being the very active person I am, I hate the thought of any downtime, and I hate the idea of surgery. At this point I am desperate and I need to sleep. From everything I am reading it does seem like surgery is the only option.

[Rw3]

Ortho surgeon here.

In regards to return to activity, depends if it is done endoscopic vs open. Equal outcomes longterm.Earlier return to sport with endoscopic. Open being the traditional longitudinal incision at the base of the palm. Endoscopic where an incision is made proximal to wrist crease in skin that heals faster (a small camera is used to visualize). You would NOT want to return ANY EARLIER than 4 weeks after endoscopic and no earlier than 6 weeks after open to heavy lifting, pushing or pulling/ ie skiing in my practice. obviously every surgeon has slightly different protocols. Based on your symptom progression, you will do incredibly well with carpal tunnel release. Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to PM me or email anytime. markit8@yahoo.com

[JDskiNECA]

I have never heard anyone else describe the waking up at night feeling like your arms are being crushed. Shaking your arms trying to get the pain to go away. That is exactly what I use to do. Sounds like endoscopic release of the band would be the way to go. This is a good time of year as water skiing season is slowly coming to an end and I do not know if you are a snow skier but the snow will not be on the ground for months.

 

You can still do lower body workouts once cleared by MD. When I had my chainsaw accident and was cleared for activity I was in a weight room doing weighted squats as if I was skiing moguls, then leg extensions and curls all while still in a cast. You can still find ways to be active.

[Rednucleus]

My understanding is that if you wait too long you will get permanent nerve damage that surgery can't reverse. You are describing significant symptoms of nerve compression that may lead to irreversable nerve damage if not addressed. Full disclosure, I'm a veterinarian, not a physician. I have mild carpal tunnel symptoms that are an annoyance; you are describing something much more severe that needs correction.

[jepski]

Sorry, I just saw this but it's one topic on BOS I'm qualified to answer. I had endo carpal tunnel surgery years ago at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO by Dr. Viola. For years I dealt with numbness, tingling, pain, no sleep and general discomfort. I was living in Winter Park, CO at the time - spending a lot time skiing in the winter and mountain biking in the summer. Eventually the discomfort lead me to seek a surgeon after trying splints, yoga, stretching and every other non-surgical option. Bottom line: The night after the procedure I slept better than I had in years and wondered why I postponed that decision. @Rw3 's information mirrors my timeframe of recovery. With any surgery I think following the recovery protocol is extremely important and pushing it or testing the limits could result in less than 100% recovery or greatly extend the time period.

Personally speaking, I would seek a surgeon with a high level of expertise in endo carpal tunnel release. Dr. Viola came highly recommended by several friends on the US Ski Team (no surprise they needed an ortho LOL). I've since encountered folks that have shared no-so-great results from the open procedure from local doctors in the area I now reside.

Bottom line: my recommendation is find a highly qualified endo release specialist, give yourself PLENTY of recovery time and schedule the procedure. If your results are anything like mine, you will wonder why you suffered so long. BTW, my procedure was almost 20 years ago and lots of cycling, tennis, golf and slalom later I have no issues with carpal tunnel.

[Luv2Ski]

@jepski Thank you so much for this reply! This helps me to feel a lot better about everything. I appreciate you taking time to respond. If I do the surgery I will for sure follow the directions and not push anything too soon!

[jepski]

@Luv2Ski You're welcome. And I'll add that I'm left-handed and had the procedure on my left wrist. 100% recovery with no loss of grip strength or functionality in any way.

[Luv2Ski]

Hello skiers! I am day 3 post op from endoscopic carpal tunnel release and repair of Dupuytren's contracture (trigger finger on my middle finger). The trigger finger issues began after my last post so both issues were addressed at the same time. I can say that I too had great sleep the night after the procedure! The night before was one of the most painful I have ever had and so far I feel a huge relief! It's nice to feel all my fingers again!I had hoped to wait until after nationals, but I just couldn't take the pain any longer. I went with a doctor who performed the same surgery (both sides) on a good skier friend of mine and who has 25 years of experience. All is well so far. I will post another update as things heal, but so far I have full range of motion, and full feeling! I can already lay on my left side again and it is absolutely glorious! I just pulled the bandage off to take a look at get it cleaned up. Not bad.