Professor
Jagdeep Nanchahal and Mr
Michael Pearse, Bupa Cromwell Hospital.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common hand disorder in the UK, but recent findings show patients can successfully receive diagnostic testing and treatment in just one visit.
Carpal
tunnel syndrome affects three to six percent of the population at some point in
their life. It’s also a costly one in terms of missed work and medical costs. Carpal
tunnel syndrome results in the highest number of days lost among all work related
injuries and almost half of the carpal tunnel cases result in 31 days or more
off work each year, according to US National
Center for Health Statistics. But now
patients can receive assessment, testing, treatment and therapy in just one
appointment.
Diagnosis and treatment in one day
Usually carpal
tunnel syndrome is diagnosed and treated over the course of several appointments.
But a recent study has shown that this needn’t be the case. According to the
findings published in the Annals of the Royal
College Surgeons England, patients
can be diagnosed and treated during a single hospital visit while maintaining
optimal results.
According to
hand and plastic surgeon and one of the authors of the study, Professor Jagdeep
Nanchahal, “patients experienced a 40 percent improvement in grip strength and
high satisfaction with the process and results.”
After an
initial examination by the consultant, patients underwent nerve conduction studies
to determine whether they had carpal tunnel syndrome. If they were found to have
the condition, the surgeons then determined the appropriate treatment. For
relatively mild cases, the patients were given a steroid injection and supplied
with a splint.
Carpal tunnel release surgery
Due to the
severity of the condition, 70 percent of the patients who came to the clinic
over a one-year period were advised to undergo surgery. “Carpal tunnel release
surgery involves cutting the transverse carpal ligament, which reduces pressure
on the median nerve,” Mr Michael Pearse, orthopaedic surgeon and author on the
study explained.
The surgery
was performed on the same day under local anaesthesia for the patients deciding
to proceed with the procedure. “To ensure the best outcomes, the surgery was
followed by a specialist hand therapist advising patients on post operative
care, including exercises they could do to avoid stiffness,” Professor
Nanchahal said. “Patients were generally ready to go home within two to three
hours of their initial appointment and the stitches were removed two weeks
later.”
Now available at Bupa Cromwell Hospital
Professor Nanchahal and Mr Pearse recently launched the Carpal Tunnel and Trigger Digit Finger Clinic at Bupa Cromwell Hospital. Currently the only private hospital in London to offer a single-visit carpal tunnel clinic, patients can now receive assessment, nerve testing, treatment and therapy in just one appointment. And for even greater convenience, the clinic is open on Saturdays.
“We are very excited to be able to offer this service at Bupa Cromwell Hospital,” Mr Pearse said.
To make an appointment at the Carpal Tunnel & Trigger Digit Clinic call 020 7460 5700.
