Carpul Tunnel - Steroid Injection

[Annathie]

Hi,
I had CTS surgery on my right wrist 3 1/2 years ago.  They were going to do the left wrist, however, I said to leave it and see how things went.  I am now having issues with it, in that I wake up every night several times with dead hands and have the tell-tale tingling in my fingers (to a small degree in the right hand also).  I saw my GP again and she referred me through to the orthopaedic Dr's at our local hospital (in New Zealand, this can be done in the public sector at no charge - which is where I had the first CTS surgery done).  However, now they are saying I can't have surgery until I have had a steroid injection to see how that works.  Can anyone tell me if steroid injections help?  Do they hurt?  How long is it likely to work for?  What can I expect?  Is it actually worth it or should I just try and get CTS surgery done privately???

Thanks heaps - I really appreciate your assistance.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, steroid injection may help in some cases and may be worth giving a try; though it is not necessary for getting one before getting a surgery. It may take a few days/ weeks to act and one could get back to work in a few days. There are no major long term issues, though occasionally one may experience a few side effects. You could read more about the injection therapy online.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!

[Annathie]

Also .......What is the "recovery" time after the injection - can you work straight away again?  Is there any discomfort or long term issues?