About Sionsberg: “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome”

In and around Sjönsberg on the Birdaarderstraatweg in Dokkum, a lot is happening in the field of healthcare. To give all these stories a place, the city’s online newspaper in-dokkum.nl has an “About Sjönsberg” section. A story from Sionsberg is discussed here every time. In this edition, surgeon Marja Jagers and neurologist Petra Ursel talk about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and what treatments are possible in Sjönsberg.

Neurologist Petra Ursel has been working in the outpatient clinic in Sionsberg since 2018. As a neurologist, she specializes in diseases of the brain, nerves, spinal cord and muscles. “I conduct discussions, conduct research and make treatment suggestions during the first appointment. When intervention is the most appropriate solution, we connect with a surgeon like Marja. The client can see the surgeon a few days later. This makes the treatment at Sjönsberg unique. “It is possible to perform the operation within two weeks,” she has been working in Sjönsberg since 2019. The professionals are located just a flight of stairs from each other, so they consult regularly.

Carpal tunnel syndrome
You have three hand nerves from your arm to your hand. One passes through the center of the wrist, or carpal tunnel. If this tunnel is too narrow, the nerve in the hand becomes compressed. The nerve becomes swollen and damaged without treatment. “When a nerve is irritated, you can feel tingling, tingling, and, in some cases, sharp pain,” says neurologist Petra. According to Petra and Maria, a common problem is that people with carpal tunnel syndrome wake up at night with a sleepy feeling in their hands. Then the customer shakes hands to get rid of this feeling.

“If you live with carpal tunnel syndrome for a very long time, the nerve can be seriously damaged,” Marja continues. One consequence may be that you lose feeling in your fingers and experience a loss of strength. In addition, you are likely to have a long or incomplete recovery period. This is why it is so important that you visit your doctor as soon as possible if you recognize complaints.

When do you get carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs mainly in women during pregnancy because they retain more fluid at that time. This is also the case for people with diabetes and an underactive thyroid. In pregnant women, carpal tunnel syndrome may diminish again after pregnancy. People with rheumatism and arthritis of the hand are also at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.

In addition, there is a group of individuals who work in certain professions that may be affected. Professions such as welding, paving, and people who do heavy housework. “The actions I’m talking about are, for example, tightening screws and wringing clothes. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs in these people because they perform actions on the pressure point in the carpal tunnel,” Marja explains.

Visit a neurologist
The client is referred by the general practitioner to a neurologist in Sionsburg. The neurologist then establishes whether he or she has found CTS based on the client’s story and through additional investigation of an electromyogram (EMG) or ultrasound. During an electromyogram (EMG) examination, the neurologist measures the functioning of the nerves using electrical shocks. “This won’t hurt, but the client may feel this as a strange feeling. The hand will move without you guiding it yourself,” Petra says.

Four treatment options
When carpal tunnel syndrome is proven, there are four treatment options:
1. Nothing is done, wait until it goes away on its own.
2. The client receives a night splint for six weeks until the wrist remains straight and the nerve heals.
3. The client receives an injection of corticosteroids, which is a medication that calms the nerve so that the carpal tunnel becomes smaller and can heal.
You can contact your neurologist for these options.

4. The client is undergoing surgery. “This procedure is performed under local anesthesia. First I make a small incision in the hand and then cut the band that forms the roof of the carpal tunnel. “It’s a ten-minute operation, so it’s done in a very short time, but the client needs six weeks of Recovery.” After six months, 80% of clients who undergo this procedure are free of complaints. “That’s too many people to help.” After the procedure the client should not put any weight on the hand. But there is no complete peace either. You will be given exercises so that the fingers do not stiffen and the hand remains flexible.

Sionsberg power
“Because we can treat clients quickly and effectively, we can ensure that people do not experience an increase in complaints,” says Marja. Carpal tunnel syndrome is often dealt with by neurologists and surgeons in Sionsburg. “This is an intervention that many experts can do. But we have to deal with it so often that we have become very specialized in it.” Sionsberg offers a friendly and easy experience because it is a little smaller, according to Maria and Petra.

“The older target group often says, ‘Does that old body still need some work?’” while CTS is holding them back in everyday life. I want to make sure they can get back to doing what makes them happy!