Larry Ziegler Finds Relief with Carpal Tunnel Surgery

For years, Larry Ziegler struggled with the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome. His symptoms were both painful and disruptive. “At night my hand would either be dead or I had no feeling in it, or it would hurt all night,” he explains. “I could shake it and wiggle it and hold it up, but it would keep me awake because it hurt so bad.”

Larry tried other treatments first. “It was several years and I tried braces on my arm and they did not help,” he said. Eventually, the symptoms became too much. “I couldn’t take it any more and I went in. I should have gone in a lot sooner.”

Seeking Answers and a Diagnosis

 Seeking answers, Larry went to see his family medicine provider, Dr. Matthew Haugen.

“Larry came in for a physical and he mentioned numbness, tingling and pain in his left hand in the first few fingers and to a lesser degree in the right hand. Symptoms had been worse at night, disrupting sleep, and he had been using a brace with some relief, although the problem was continuing to progress. That was a pretty classic presentation for carpal tunnel – it often gives people more trouble at night, at least initially. Generally the first three fingers are the primary ones affected although it can vary a bit from person to person,” explains Dr. Haugen.

After reviewing his symptoms, Dr. Haugen ordered an EMG (electromyogram/nerve conduction study) to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other causes. An EMG test measures how well nerve signals are being transmitted using tiny electrical shocks.

“They sent electricity through, and I could tell them where my problem was,” Larry recalls.

In short, the test confirmed what Dr. Haugen suspected: severe carpal tunnel in his left hand and moderate to severe on the right.

“With the severity of Larry’s carpal tunnel, we ended up going right to the surgeon. With symptoms that are less severe, hand therapy, bracing, steroid injections into the wrist can be helpful. Ultimately, though, the surgery tends to be quite successful and fairly low risk, so we will move towards that pretty quickly,” says Dr. Haugen.

Surgery Brings Relief

With surgery as the next step. Dr. Haugen referred Larry to general surgeon, Dr. Brett Glawe to perform the procedure.

Subsequently, Dr. Glawe confirmed that Larry had carpal tunnel syndrome. “Compression of the median nerve in the wrist was starting to cause muscle weakness. Larry was having trouble picking up small items and would occasionally drop things,” explains Dr. Glawe.

“During surgery, we make a small incision on the palm, near the wrist. We then divide (or release) the transverse carpal ligament, which gives the nerve some breathing room,” Dr. Glawe describes.

The procedure took about 20 minutes. Larry’s wrist was bandaged with simple dressings, and he was able to go home the same day.

Larry went to occupational therapy a couple of times where they monitored the wound and instructed him on how to do various exercises to help with recovery, improve strength, and decrease swelling. He also went back to Dr. Glawe to ensure the wound was healing properly.

Most patients miss about two weeks of work (unless they can go back earlier with limited use of the hand).

For Larry, recovery was smooth and quick. “It didn’t take but a few weeks to get back to normal,” he said. “It’s been good, pain free, and my hand works great ever since. It couldn’t be any better.”

A Simple Procedure, Lasting Results

Today, several months after surgery, Larry is fully recovered. “I have everything back to normal. No pain. My hand doesn’t go to sleep. It’s back to full strength, and you can hardly see where they did it,” he says.

His experience with Dr. Haugen, Dr. Glawe, and the care team was overwhelmingly positive. “I would recommend Dr. Haugen and Dr. Glawe to anyone. The nurses, anesthesia, all the staff at Perham Health took good care of me,” Larry says.

Looking back, Larry wishes he had acted sooner. His advice to others is simple: “Don’t wait. Get it done. I waited—I should have done it sooner. That’s a lot of suffering. Just go get it done.”

Larry is thinking about having his right wrist done in the future, but for now, he’s enjoying life without the pain and disruption of carpal tunnel.

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