Carpal tunnel surgery
![Indication of the site of the problem in carpal tunnel syndrome.](/Images/godic/202501/03/Carpal_Tunnel_Syndrome0828.png")
![Scars from carpal tunnel release surgery. Two different techniques were used. The left scar is 6 weeks old, the right scar is 2 weeks old. Also note the muscular atrophy of the thenar eminence in the left hand, a common sign of advanced CTS.](/Images/godic/202501/03/Carpal_tunnel_scars0828.jpg")
![The traditional open carpal tunnel surgery.](/Images/godic/202501/03/Carpal_Tunnel_Syndrome,_Operation0828.jpg")
![Procedure of Thread Carpal Tunnel Release](/Images/godic/202501/03/-GuoTech_for_Thread_Carpal_Tunnel_Release.webm0828.jpg")
Carpal tunnel surgery, also called carpal tunnel release (CTR) and carpal tunnel decompression surgery, is a surgery in which the transverse carpal ligament is divided. It is a treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome and recommended when there is static (constant, not just intermittent) numbness, muscle weakness, or atrophy, and when night-splinting no longer controls intermittent symptoms of pain in the carpal tunnel. In general, milder cases can be controlled for months to years, but severe cases are unrelenting symptomatically and are likely to result in surgical treatment.