Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that causes pain, numbness, and tingling sensations of the hand and fingers. The cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is pinching of one of the large nerves as it passes through the wrist joint. Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome depends on the type and duration of symptoms.
This is encouraging, as carpal tunnel syndrome is a common problem, and finding the best treatment for carpal tunnel can be difficult. Cortisone injections are not difficult to administer, although there are potential side effects.
However, many orthopedic surgeons feel that cortisone injections are often just a temporizing measure, and the effects will eventually wear out over time. Therefore, surgery may still be a better long-term solution to the problem of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Sources:
Hui, ACF, et al. "A randomized controlled trial of surgery vs steroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome" Neurology 2005;64:2074-2078.
Marshall, S, et al. "Local corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome" Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;(4):CD001554.
