Did you know you can get carpal tunnel surgery in just 20 to 30 minutes—without anesthesia? You can even drive yourself home afterward.
“I tell patients it’s 30 minutes door-to-door,” said Dr. Michael Ramisch, a hand surgeon with Intermountain Health.
It might sound like a niche specialty—until you consider that our hands have a combined 54 bones, along with a complex network of tendons, ligaments and muscles. Some argue that what makes humans unique isn't just our brains, but also our hands. Sperm whales, elephants and dolphins may have larger brains, but they don’t have hands to create, invent or explore.
Our hands allow our minds to interact with the world around us. On a personal level, they help us do the things that bring us joy—writing, painting, building, tying knots, playing music or simply holding another person’s hand. But even small injuries can interfere with those simple pleasures.
So, what’s the most common hand issue?
“Probably the most common is something called trigger finger,” Ramisch said. “That’s when the tendon in a finger catches. As you bend the finger, it can get stuck, and in more severe cases, people have to use their other hand to pop it open.”
In the past, surgical fixes like that required a trip to the operating room: anesthesia, a day off work, and someone to drive you home. But not anymore.
“Quite often, when I say, ‘We’re all done,’ the patient is a little disappointed,” Ramisch said. “They were expecting a larger, more complex process.”
Sound too easy? It’s not. But "easy" doesn’t mean unimportant. If you're hurting, it’s worth checking to see if there’s a simple solution.
“It’s not a big deal if you come in for an inspection and I say, ‘OK, your bones look good, your joint looks good. You’re a little stiff—it’s a sprain. It’s an injury, but it’s going to be OK,’” Ramisch said.
This in-office approach is just as safe and effective as traditional surgery. Since the hands are at the end of the arms—separate from internal organs—they can be numbed, kept sterile and treated while you’re awake. And if the idea of being awake during a procedure sounds scary, Ramisch gets it.
“If someone has significant anxiety or fear, we always offer the option of an operating room,” he said. “We try to be as informative as possible. And typically, once people understand the process, they’re excited to do it in the office.”
Click here for more information about Intermountain’s hand and wrist care services.
