Comprehensive treatment:
We start with the least invasive options, like medications, splints and physical therapy. If you need surgery, we offer minimally invasive procedures. You’ll likely go home that same day. Meet our team.
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Does your hand tingle or ache when you type? Is lifting your morning coffee more painful than pleasant? Do you keep dropping things?
We rely on our hands and wrists more than we realize — so when carpal tunnel syndrome causes nerve pain or numbness, it can throw your whole day off. This common condition can disrupt your sleep, make everyday tasks feel impossible and grow worse over time.
The good news? Carpal tunnel syndrome is treatable, and Cleveland Clinic can help. From physical therapy to surgery, we offer a range of options to help you manage pain and numbness, so you can get back to typing, texting and sipping that coffee.
We start with the least invasive options, like medications, splints and physical therapy. If you need surgery, we offer minimally invasive procedures. You’ll likely go home that same day. Meet our team.
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Your hand and wrist are complex, with many bones, muscles, nerves and blood vessels working together. Each wrist also contains a narrow passageway called the carpal tunnel. It houses the median nerve that controls movement and feeling in your forearm, wrist and hand.
Repetitive motions like typing or hammering can narrow this space. So can certain health conditions or even your natural anatomy. When the carpal tunnel gets too tight, it can pinch (compress) your median nerve, causing:
Nerve compression syndromes like carpal tunnel syndrome can get worse over time and cause permanent hand and wrist damage. That’s why it’s important to get a correct diagnosis and effective treatment from providers experienced with this condition.
Your treatment starts with a conversation. You’ll talk with your provider about your symptoms and how they affect your day-to-day life. They’ll want to know about the things that make your symptoms worse. And they’ll be curious to learn if you’re doing things that help, even if it’s only for a short time.
Your provider will look at your hand and wrist to check for numbness, tingling and changes in flexibility, strength or muscle tone. They may also look at your shoulder and neck to rule out other causes and do in-office tests like a Tinel’s sign or wrist flexion (Phalen’s test). They may be able to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome at this point. Other times, you may need more tests, like:
You’ll have a care team of providers with experience in diagnosing and treating hand and wrist conditions, like:
These and other skilled providers on your team work together to confirm your diagnosis and craft a highly personalized treatment plan.
Our healthcare providers see patients at convenient locations throughout Northeast Ohio and Florida.
Once we’ve confirmed your carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis, we’ll talk about the next steps. We often start by using the least invasive treatment to avoid orthopaedic surgery when possible.
A brace or splint holds your wrist in a neutral position to keep it from bending. This reduces pressure on your median nerve. These devices can often treat carpal tunnel syndrome without surgery and with good results.
Some of our occupational and physical therapists specialize in treating hand and wrist conditions. They can guide you through exercises that help your median nerve glide more easily through the carpal tunnel. They’ll also help you discover which activities amp up your symptoms and suggest ways to adjust your daily habits. Sometimes, even small changes — like modifying your work setup — can make a big difference.
Medications can help manage your symptoms. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Motrin® or Advil®) or naproxen (Aleve®) may reduce swelling and ease pain. In some cases, steroid injections can also relieve painful flare-ups.
These treatments are usually short-term solutions and can produce side effects. We’ll help you choose the best option.
Carpal tunnel release surgery is an option if your condition hasn’t responded to less invasive treatments or if you have extremely severe symptoms. We’ll cut a ligament covering the carpal tunnel at the base of your palm (transverse carpal ligament). By doing this, we can widen the tunnel to take pressure off the nerves and tendons inside it. We can do this in two ways:
The procedures typically take only 10 to 15 minutes — and you’ll go home the same day unless there are complications.
You should notice improvement within a few weeks of surgery. It will depend on how bad your carpal tunnel syndrome was and what treatments you had. If you have surgery, we’ll remove your stitches between 10 days and two weeks. You’ll then start physical and/or occupational therapy to help you move better. It may take up to six weeks to get back to heavy lifting or strenuous activities.
A numb or constantly aching hand is trying to tell you something — and it’s not a message you want to ignore. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, those symptoms likely won’t go away on their own and may even get worse. Our team can confirm what’s going on and start treatment to help you manage the pain, rebuild strength and get your hand back in action.
Getting an appointment with Cleveland Clinic’s carpal tunnel syndrome experts is easy. We’re here to help you get the care you need.
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