HAND | Carpal Tunnel
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Diagnosis, Treatment and Surgery
Numb, tingling hands that wake you at night are the classic sign of a compressed nerve, and one of the most fixable problems in hand surgery. Consultant-led care from diagnosis to release surgery, at Berkshire Grove Hospital.
Surgery
20 to 30 minutes
Anaesthetic
Usually local
Return home
Same day
Night symptoms
Often relieved fast
Is this you?
Most People Who Come To Us For Carpal Tunnel Say One Of These Things:
I wake up at 3am with a dead hand and have to shake it back to life.
My thumb and first fingers tingle when I drive or hold my phone.
I've started dropping mugs. My grip just isn't there.
The splint helped for a while. It doesn't any more.
I type all day, and by evening my hand is buzzing.
I've been told I need surgery, and the NHS wait is over a year.
Carpal tunnel syndrome tends to progress, and long-compressed nerves recover more slowly, so "putting up with it" has a real cost. The good news: diagnosis is straightforward, and treatment works.
The compressed nerve
What Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is compression of the median nerve as it passes through a narrow tunnel at the base of your palm. The nerve supplies feeling to the thumb, index and middle fingers and power to some thumb muscles, which is why compression causes tingling, numbness and weak grip in exactly that territory, classically worse at night.
It's common, more so with age, in pregnancy, with diabetes or thyroid conditions, and in hands that do repetitive gripping work. Left untreated, intermittent tingling can progress to constant numbness and visible wasting of the thumb muscles, and at that stage even successful surgery recovers less. Timing matters more than most people are told.
It's common, more so with age, in pregnancy, with diabetes or thyroid conditions, and in hands that do repetitive gripping work. Left untreated, intermittent tingling can progress to constant numbness and visible wasting of the thumb muscles, and at that stage even successful surgery recovers less. Timing matters more than most people are told.
KNOW THE SIGNS
The Signs, Honestly Assessed
The classic pattern is hard to mistake once you know it: tingling or numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers, worse at night, waking you and easing when you shake the hand out. Mornings start numb, grip weakens as it progresses, and mugs and keys begin to slip. The little finger is usually spared, because it belongs to a different nerve, and that detail is diagnostically golden.
Not everything that tingles is carpal tunnel. Little-finger symptoms point to the ulnar nerve at the elbow (cubital tunnel) instead, and neck problems can mimic hand tingling convincingly. That's why examination, and nerve conduction studies where needed, beat self-diagnosis: treatment only works if it's aimed at the right nerve.
Not everything that tingles is carpal tunnel. Little-finger symptoms point to the ulnar nerve at the elbow (cubital tunnel) instead, and neck problems can mimic hand tingling convincingly. That's why examination, and nerve conduction studies where needed, beat self-diagnosis: treatment only works if it's aimed at the right nerve.
Tingling that spares the little finger, and wakes you at night, is carpal tunnel until proven otherwise. A consultation settles it quickly.
Apex Medical
Expert care for the
Hardest-working part of you.
THE TREATMENT LADDER
Splint, Injection, Or Surgery?
Night splinting holds the wrist neutral and genuinely helps early or mild cases, especially pregnancy-related ones.
Steroid injection can settle symptoms for months and doubles as a diagnostic signal; it suits mild-to-moderate cases and those wanting to defer surgery.
Carpal tunnel release surgery is the definitive fix: dividing the ligament that roofs the tunnel to give the nerve room. It's the right call when symptoms are constant, progressing, waking you nightly, or when muscle weakness has begun; at that point, injections tend only to postpone the inevitable, and we'll say so.
Steroid injection can settle symptoms for months and doubles as a diagnostic signal; it suits mild-to-moderate cases and those wanting to defer surgery.
Carpal tunnel release surgery is the definitive fix: dividing the ligament that roofs the tunnel to give the nerve room. It's the right call when symptoms are constant, progressing, waking you nightly, or when muscle weakness has begun; at that point, injections tend only to postpone the inevitable, and we'll say so.
Consultant-led care
Led by a Hand & Nerve
Specialist You Can Trust.
Apex Medical was founded by Mr Kuen Yeow Chin, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Plastic Surgery at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. Hand and nerve surgery, including carpal tunnel release, is one of his defining specialisms, and he is a member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH).
Your consultation, your procedure and your follow-up are with the same consultant throughout: the surgeon who assesses your hand is the surgeon who treats it.
Your consultation, your procedure and your follow-up are with the same consultant throughout: the surgeon who assesses your hand is the surgeon who treats it.
Your clinical team:
Mr. Kuen Yeow Chin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist
Reconstructive surgery and advanced skin cancer treatment
Sarah Millward
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin checks, mole screening, and early skin cancer detection.
Laura O'Hare
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin lesion care, post-surgical recovery, and private dermatology services.
Jackie Brighton
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Expert mole checks, lesion assessment, and aftercare for skin cancer patients.
Jennifer Povey
Skin Cancer Nurse Specialist
Skin care treatment, photodynamic therapy (PDT), cryotheraphy, and personalised patient care.
Mr. Kuen Yeow Chin
Consultant Plastic Surgeon & Skin Cancer Specialist
Reconstructive surgery and advanced skin cancer treatment
YOUR CARE, STEP BY STEP
How Your Carpal Tunnel Treatment Works
Five steps from broken nights to a working hand: diagnosis, an honest treatment ladder, and, where it's needed, a 20 to 30 minute operation. Most patients know their plan by the end of the first appointment.
A
Consultation
Examination usually makes the diagnosis; nerve conduction studies confirm severity where needed.
B
Your Plan
Splint, injection or surgery, honestly laddered; injections can be done at the same visit.
C
Carpal Tunnel Release
A short operation, typically 20 to 30 minutes under local anaesthetic: a small incision at the base of the palm, the ligament divided, the nerve decompressed. Home the same day, hand in a light dressing.
D
Recovery
Fingers moving from day one; dressings reduced within days; stitches out at 10 to 14 days. Night pain and tingling often improve strikingly fast; numbness that was constant recovers more gradually.
E
Back to Life
Desk work typically within 1 to 2 weeks; driving when you can grip comfortably and safely (often around 2 weeks); heavy manual work 4 to 6 weeks. Full palm comfort can take a few months, and we'll tell you that upfront rather than after.
Transparent Pricing
Carpal Tunnel Pricing
Fixed, transparent pricing with no hidden extras. Your exact quote is confirmed in writing at consultation, before you commit to anything, and includes your follow-up care.
Initial Consultation
A consultant examination and diagnosis, with nerve conduction studies arranged where they genuinely add information
£X
Steroid Injection
Often possible at the same visit; settles mild-to-moderate cases for months and doubles as a diagnostic signal.
from £500
Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery
Fixed all-inclusive package: a 20 to 30 minute operation under local anaesthetic, with dressings and follow-up included.
From £1,500
Ongoing Care
Recovery and Aftercare
Recovery is staged and mostly kind. Fingers move from day one; dressings come down within days and stitches out at 10 to 14 days. Night pain and tingling often improve strikingly fast, sometimes within the first week. Constant numbness recovers more gradually, over weeks to months at the nerve's own pace, and long-standing muscle wasting may rebuild only partially, which is the honest argument against waiting years.
Massage the scar once healed; palm tenderness when leaning fades over a few weeks, and grip strength rebuilds progressively. Call us if the hand becomes increasingly painful, hot or swollen rather than steadily better; that is exactly what review exists for.
Massage the scar once healed; palm tenderness when leaning fades over a few weeks, and grip strength rebuilds progressively. Call us if the hand becomes increasingly painful, hot or swollen rather than steadily better; that is exactly what review exists for.
Where to find us
Consultant-led care at Berkshire Grove Hospital
Apex Medical is based at Berkshire Grove Hospital in Maidenhead, with clinics also at the Parkside Suite. Patients travel to us from Reading, Windsor, Slough, Marlow, Bracknell, London and across Berkshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire for consultant-led care in a regulated private hospital, without long waiting times. On-site parking is available.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm | Saturday by appointment only | Sunday closed
Phone
020 3871 5898
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Carpal Tunnel at Apex Medical
Mild, recent-onset cases sometimes settle, especially in pregnancy. Established symptoms usually persist or progress, and long compression risks permanent nerve change, so worsening symptoms deserve assessment rather than patience.
Not always; classic presentations can be diagnosed clinically. Studies help confirm severity, guide timing, and rule out mimics, and your surgeon will be straight about whether they add anything in your case.
The operation itself isn't; it's done under local anaesthetic. Expect a sore palm for a week or two, managed with simple painkillers, then gradually fading tenderness over some weeks.
Night waking and tingling often improve within days. Constant numbness recovers slowly over weeks to months as the nerve heals, and very long-standing numbness may not recover fully, which is the argument for not waiting years.
Desk work: typically 1 to 2 weeks. Driving: when you can grip the wheel comfortably and control the car safely, often around 2 weeks. Manual work: usually 4 to 6 weeks. Your surgeon will personalise this.
True recurrence after a complete release is uncommon. If symptoms persist, the more usual explanations are advanced pre-existing nerve change or a different diagnosis, both of which proper assessment beforehand is designed to catch.
Yes. Many patients have both sides affected; hands are usually treated one at a time so you always have a working hand, with the second scheduled around your recovery.
Patient Stories.
In our patients' own words
BOOK A CONSULTATION
Stop Shaking Your Hand Awake
If your nights are broken and your grip is going, you already know something needs doing. One consultation gets you a diagnosis, an honest ladder, and, if it's surgery, a 30-minute operation instead of another year of bad nights.
Book a Consultation
Consultant-led private skin, hands and aesthetic care across Berkshire. Precise, caring and expert.