Dr. Kim is one of a few board certified hand surgeons in the area. In addition to doing 5 years of general surgery, 2 years of plastic surgery training , 1 year of research in wound healing, he also completed a 1 year hand surgical fellowship at the famous Kutz-Kleinert hand institute in Louisville, KY. Dr. Kim participated in the first US hand transplant in 1999. Dr. Kim has passed the intensive examinations to obtain (CAQH) board certification in hand surgery. He is also a member of the ASSH (American Society of Surgery of the Hand). He performs many of his hand surgeries with WALANT ( wide awake local anesthesia no tourniquet ) which makes the procedure and recovery fast and comfortable. Learn more
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when there is compression of the median nerve at the wrist. This nerve runs from the forearm to the palm of the hand. The exact cause is not known, but certain factors such as congenital abnormalities, trauma, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity and pregnancy increase the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually develop gradually.
Some of the symptoms include:
- Frequent tingling in the thumb, index and middle and ring fingers
- Burning or numb sensations occurring in the palm or fingers and thumb
- Waking up at night having to shake your hand to relieve numbness
- Difficulty grasping things in activities of daily living
Dr. Kim is the only hand surgeon in the are performing endoscopic carpal tunnel release under local anesthesia. There is usually only the minimal pain of injection of numbing solution then procedure is completed within 10-20 minutes. Dr. Kim performs the Chow endoscopic technique.
Recovery
Following a carpal tunnel release, you will usually be able to go home that day. Your hand will be bandaged, and you will have to keep the hand dry for 24 hours. The operation typically results in minimal pain which can easily be controlled with simple analgesia. In most cases the sutures are removed around day 10-14.
Your return to work and usual activities will be entirely dependent on the nature of your work, and this may take up to 4 weeks. It can take up to a year to heal completely. If there is any nerve damage pre op (numbness all the time) it takes many months for the damaged nerves to regenerate and sometimes they don’t. More Information.