Health and Fitness Facts

Archive for the ‘Surgeon’ Category

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a painful condition that is characterized by symptoms such as pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, paresthesia (pins and needles) and loss of strength and coordination in the thumb, index, middle and sometimes one-half of the ring finger. Not all of the symptoms or fingers have to be affected simultaneously as symptoms often vary and may move around. (Symptoms present in the ring and little finger are not carpal tunnel syndrome and instead are related to ulnar nerve entrapment in disorders like Guyon’s Syndrome and Cubital Tunnel Syndrome.)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most common nerve entrapment disorder in the past decade and is generally caused by muscle strength and length imbalance that exists between the flexor muscles that close the hand and the extensor muscles that open the hand, resulting in excessive pressure on the median nerve. Surgery is one option for treating this disabling condition; however, it remains a controversial choice and it is important to fully understand the risks and benefits involved.

There are many invasive and non-invasive treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome including medication, exercise, wrist splinting, and corticosteroid nerve injections. Surgery is by far the most invasive procedure and it merits careful forethought as a majority of those undergoing the knife may obtain some relief, long-term relief has a very poor success rate. In contrast, the vast majority of patients fare better with conservative treatment and it is estimated that less than 1/3 require surgical intervention. Indeed, surgery is only recommended when there is persistent, debilitating pain, deteriorated grip or grasping, muscle flattening and all other conservative methods have been tried.

A new sinus surgery procedure has emerged in recent months. It is called sinuplasty, and it is similar in concept to angioplasty. That is, a small balloon is inserted into the sinus passages of the patient, the balloon is inflated, then deflated, and then removed. It is claimed that the passage will remain open for some time because of the small malleable bones in the part of the head where the sinuses are located. The theory is that once the balloon is withdrawn, these bones have been moved slightly and will remain in place. If this in fact proves to be true by follow-up tests and studies, this would undoubtedly be an interesting option for many sinus sufferers.

It is claimed that there is little pain in the sinuplasty procedure. I personally have had two sinus operation, and the pain and discomfort involved in each was substantial. After the first operation my nose was “packed”. That is, a large amount of gauze was placed in each nostril to stop bleeding and help start the healing process. Thus, all breathing has to be done through the mouth for the week or so that the gauze stays in the nose. It is very difficult to eat like this, because one cannot swallow food and breathe at the same time. Removing the gauze was another painful experience. The ENT specialist said that “this will feel like I’m pulling your brains out”. He was right, and that is exactly what it felt like. With regard to pain, I feel that I’m willing to tolerate it if going through the pain will accomplish something. In the case of my two sinus operations, I was still coming down with infections afterwards, so all the pain was really for nothing.

There are no long-term, scientific studies yet to show how effective the operation is. Several are under way, however, and it will be interesting to see the results. One study of 100 patients is due to be released in September, and another with 80 participants should be released subsequently. I personally don’t recommend sinus surgery to people because it seems that even if there are positive results, they only last a short time. I’ve heard of people having had 4 or 5 sinus operations, and one wonders what operation number 5 might accomplish that numbers 1-4 did not. The anecdotal stories of people who had suffered from chronic sinusitis and tried sinuplasty are encouraging, however. The ABC evening news ran a story about the procedure not long ago, and they interviewed a person who said her results were immediate and excellent. In any case I would recommend trying pulsating nasal irrigation with a saline solution before any surgery procedure, but if simplasty proves to be effective in the long term, this may be an excellent option for many sinusitis sufferers. If one has polyps, however, it should be noted that sinuplasty will not be an option, as the polyps will need to be removed by invasive surgery.

If you have recently begun to feel intense amounts of neck or back pain, you may have a condition that needs treatment from a medical professional. Often such conditions are easily curable with a simple hot or cold pad or regular visits to a chiropractor, but for more advanced, for more severe cases, your only option may be neck surgery.

Surgery on your neck involves cutting into your spine in order to correct some sort of anatomical defect which is causing your pain. While there are other, less invasive types of surgeries and treatments available, neck surgery is often your only choice if you are suffering from a pain that cannot be treated in any other way. This is only provided that the source of your pain can be identified, as exploratory surgery on your neck is never an option that you should consider due to the relatively high risk of damaging a vital part of your body.

All surgery which is done on the spine or the neck should only be conducted by an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon. If you are considering receiving surgery in this area of your body from a surgeon that is not one of these two types, you should definitely think it over and go with a licensed and trained orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon instead.

The most important thing to remember about any type of spinal surgery, including surgery on the neck, is that it is totally elective. There are often a variety of other ways in which you can treat your pain or discomfort without having to go under the knife. Sometimes neck surgery is not even the best way to treat such problems. However, it should always be a type of surgery that you should really only consider as a relatively last resort, as there is usually more risk involved in such surgery than potential benefits.