Episode Transcript
Interviewer: If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, it might seem like surgery is the only means of relief from your symptoms. But what about simple splinting? Could that be an effective, non-invasive alternative? Dr. Douglas Hutchinson is a hand surgeon. Does splinting work for carpal tunnel syndrome?
Dr. Hutchinson: You know, it's very effective actually, and splints alone are the mainstay of our treatment. And if a person can sleep at night and not wake up with numb fingers, they're going to feel a lot better, they're going to do better during the day, their hands are not going to hurt them, and/or go to sleep on them as much during the day as well, and they're going to get several years out of that type of treatment before they may get to the point where despite splinting they're still getting numbness, and that's when they probably should talk about surgery.
updated: November 23, 2020
originally published: March 28, 2018