Median nerve injury from local steroid injection in carpal tunnel syndrome

Local steroid injections for symptomatic relief of carpal tunnel syndrome have become common in the evaluation and treatment of this disorder; yet reports of median nerve injection injury from this practice are rare. We present a case of nerve injury from a steroid injection in a 24-year-old man with carpal tunnel syndrome that was successfully treated by division of the transverse carpal ligament and neurolysis. The histopathological characteristics of the lesion are presented, and the pathogenesis and treatment of this injury are discussed. Means of avoiding this complication include careful attention to anatomic landmarks as well as to the patient's subjective response during injection and avoidance of the use of local anesthetics.