Diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome

I am a type 2 diabetic and have been told that I have carpal tunnel syndrome. What are my treatment options?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is known to be associated with diabetes. The syndrome typically occurs after many years and can be disabling. The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome in diabetics is due to high glucose levels that lead to biochemical changes in the nerve and affect conduction. It is estimated that 30-45 percent of diabetics do develop carpal tunnel syndrome.

Other causes of carpal tunnel syndrome include obesity, hypothyroidism, repeated use of the wrist, trauma or fluid buildup in the space where the median nerve runs. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also common in individuals who perform the same repeated wrist activities at work.

Once you have been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, the first goal of treatment is to avoid going to a surgeon. Surgery is the last resort and the results are not exactly promising. Many patients continue to have similar symptoms after surgery and recurrence of the syndrome is not unheard of.

If your physician suggests surgery right away, get a new doctor. The first treatment should be protection of the wrist with a splint and avoiding activities that aggravate the wrist. You may have to change your job, lose weight and get better control of your diabetes. Injection of steroids, pain killers  and physical therapy are also helpful. Surgery is only done when all these above management approaches fail. One should devote at least 3-7 weeks to each treatment before jumping to another treatment. 

Final word: Many patients who have undergone surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome remain symptomatic. In fact, most are worse off. So think twice about surgery-it is not always the panacea for everything in life (And i am a surgeon who is telling you this fact).