Carpal tunnel release: scoping out the carpal tunnel

1. Conservative treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)--such as rest, splinting of the wrist, use of anti-inflammatory drugs, and steroid injections--are used when symptoms are manageable and short term. 2. If CTS symptoms worsen--or there is evidence of neurosensory deterioration or thenar muscle wasting--then surgery becomes the only recourse. 3. Endoscopic release of the carpal tunnel results in less surgical trauma to the patient than the open method of release, resulting in less postoperative pain and scarring, and faster recovery time, resolution of paresthesia and pillar pain, improvement of grip and pinching strength, and return to work and activities of daily living.