Return-to-Work After Carpal Tunnel Release Across Surgical Techniques: A Narrative Review

TL;DR

This review compares how quickly people return to work after different types of carpal tunnel surgery, finding that less invasive techniques allow faster recovery.

Contribution

The paper systematically compares RTW outcomes across various CTR techniques, emphasizing the impact of procedural invasiveness on recovery.

Findings

Open CTR typically allows return to work in four to six weeks.

Endoscopic techniques enable return to work in two to four weeks.

Ultraminimally invasive methods allow return to work in one to two weeks.

Abstract

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the most common upper-limb entrapment neuropathy and remains a major contributor of work-related disability. While Carpal Tunnel Release (CTR) reliably improves symptoms, functional recovery is less consistently reported. Return-to-Work (RTW) has emerged as a practical functional outcome, but definitions and reporting remain heterogeneous. We conducted a narrative review of English-language studies reporting RTW or work-absence outcomes following open, endoscopic, ultrasound-guided, ultraminimally invasive, and microinvasive CTR techniques. Due to variability in study design and RTW definitions, findings were synthesised descriptively. Across the literature, RTW durations progressively shortened as procedural invasiveness decreased. Open CTR commonly reported RTW at four to six weeks, endoscopic techniques at two to four weeks, and ultrasound-guided approaches at approximately 10–21 days. Recent ultraminimally invasive and microinvasive systems frequently reported RTW within one to two weeks when performed under local anaesthesia. These findings highlighted RTW as a meaningful functional benchmark and underscore the role of imaging-guided access minimisation in accelerating postoperative recovery.

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