6 Reasons Why SmartRelease is a Smart Choice for Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery
When your doctor has recommended carpal tunnel release surgery, you’ll want to be informed about your options. In both the open and endoscopic procedures, doctors cut the transverse carpal ligament, which widens the narrow carpal tunnel within the wrist. This provides more room within the carpal tunnel for the median nerve, which provides sensation to the hand.
The SmartRelease® Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release procedure is a simple and safe treatment that gets patients back to their usual activities more quickly than traditional open surgery. (1) For those with an active lifestyle or who want to have minimal downtime with less recovery pain, SmartRelease may be an appealing option.
“The SmartRelease system is an easy, effective way to open the carpal tunnel and relieve the pressure on the median nerve,” says Nathan Lesley, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand and upper extremity surgery and founder and CEO of the Hand to Shoulder Center in Fort Worth, Texas. “It allows for immediate use of the hand, with a small incision placed outside of the hand to minimize discomfort. As tolerated immediately, I allow my patients to return to full activities.”
The Reasons SmartRelease is the Smarter Choice
It’s minimally invasive.
Surgeons make a ½-inch incision during the procedure, which means that you’ll heal more quickly and have less scarring than people who have open surgery. (2) A smaller incision also reduces your chances of post-surgical infection.
Surgeons have advanced visualization.
The endoscopic camera that surgeons use offers greater visibility on a screen, enabling them to see the ligament they are releasing clearly.
“The high-resolution camera allows for complete visualization of the median nerve and its branches; I know exactly where to release the ligament,” Lesley says.
It’s a simple, quick procedure.
Surgeons can complete the SmartRelease procedure within minutes. (3) It may also be performed under local anesthesia while the patient is wide awake without any narcotics. Patients can even drive themselves home.
It results in less pain.
Patients who choose SmartRelease experience less postoperative pain than those who undergo open surgery. (4) Open surgery involves a larger incision through the skin, fat, and muscle in the palm, which all need to heal, as opposed to a small incision in the wrist with SmartRelease.
Patients recover more quickly.
Those who undergo endoscopic carpal tunnel release are able to return to their usual activities more quickly than people who have open surgery. (5) Patients who have SmartRelease typically leave the procedure with an adhesive bandage at the surgical site and can return to mild activities almost immediately. After open surgery, generally, patients must wear a brace for weeks after the procedure, impacting daily activities and quality of life.
Over 2 million procedures.
SmartRelease has earned the trust of surgeons. More than 2 million SmartRelease procedures have been performed over the past 30 years. (6) Evaluation of the device's benefits to the patient for treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has been proven to improve patient satisfaction (over open carpal tunnel release) with less pain, a smaller scar, and quicker recovery. (7,8,9)
Reasons to Have Carpal Tunnel Surgery
People tired of experiencing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome pain and numbness and aren’t helped by short-term fixes, like exercises or corticosteroid injections, may regain their ability to do meaningful tasks with their hands after surgery.
“Symptoms [are] often waking patients up at night,” Lesley says. “One of the most rewarding aspects of my specialty is the opportunity to give someone a full night’s rest.”
Let SmartRelease help you put chronic carpal tunnel pain behind you so that you can live your best life.
