Carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on a nerve in your wrist. It causes tingling, numbness, and pain in your hand and fingers. You can get surgery to release the pressure on the nerve that is causing these symptoms.
Please see the carpal tunnel syndrome surgery checklist for further information.
We recommend this surgery is prescribed only in some special cases, like if the symptoms are very bad, last for more than 4 months despite getting special treatment with injections; and if your symptoms interrupt your daily activities or your sleep. Please click here to look at the criteria for Carpal Tunnel Surgery.
To make sure that you get the best treatment for your condition your GP, hospital consultant or nurse specialist will discuss the different treatment options with you.
Some operations or treatments will only be recommended for some patients and your doctor will assess whether or not you meet the clinical conditions or criteria. Please click here to look at the criteria for Carpal Tunnel release.
If you meet the criteria then this will be the best treatment option for you and the procedure will be arranged.
If you don’t meet the criteria then you will be offered the most effective treatment for your particular condition.
If you don’t qualify for the treatment, but your doctor or nurse thinks that there are exceptional clinical circumstances in your case then they may submit an Individual Funding Request (IFR) to an independent panel for consideration.
The IFR panel meets weekly and aims to consider cases within 14 days. The panel’s decision will be communicated to you by letter if you are an adult or by letter to your GP if you are the guardian of a child applying for funding.
If your IFR application is rejected (meaning that your surgery will not be funded by the NHS), then you or your GP has the right to appeal to the IFR panel against this decision within 90 days. The panel is independent to your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
The Get Fit First policy also applies to this intervention. For further information please see the Get Fit First page.
To make sure that you get the best treatment for your condition your GP, MSK practitioner, hospital consultant or nurse specialist will discuss the different treatment options with you.
Some operations or treatments will only be recommended for some patients. All patients with this condition will be referred to the Community musculoskeletal service (MSK) for clinical triage, assessment and treatment.
The MSK service will assess your condition to identify the best treatment plan for you.
The MSK service will also assess whether or not you meet the clinical conditions or criteria. Please click here to look at the criteria for a knee replacement.
If you don’t qualify for the treatment, but your doctor or nurse thinks that there are exceptional clinical circumstances in your case then they may submit an Individual Funding Request (IFR) to an independent panel for consideration.
The IFR panel meets weekly and aims to consider cases within 14days. The panel’s decision will be communicated to you by letter if you are an adult or by letter to your GP if you are the guardian of a child applying for funding.
If your IFR application is rejected (meaning that your surgery will not be funded by the NHS), then you or your GP has the right to appeal to the IFR panel against this decision within 90days. The panel is independent to your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).