Have you had wrist surgery recently, but your hand still doesn’t feel right?
After wrist surgery, it can be worrying to notice that your hand still feels numb, painful or different from before the operation. Some changes in sensation are a normal part of recovery, but persistent symptoms can sometimes need further investigation. It is not always easy to know whether a symptom is part of the healing process or whether a nerve has been affected.
In this blog, we will break down the symptoms of nerve damage after wrist surgery and explain when concerns about your treatment may need to be looked at more closely.
What are the symptoms of nerve damage after wrist surgery?
There isn’t one particular symptom that confirms nerve damage after wrist surgery. The signs can vary depending on which nerve is affected and how severe the injury is.
- Numbness or a change in sensation
For example, you might notice reduced sensation in part of the hand, wrist or fingers. The affected area can sometimes give a doctor an indication of which nerve may be involved.
2. Experiencing tingling or pins and needles
Pins and needles can be another sign that a nerve has been irritated or injured. The sensation may come and go, or you may notice it regularly throughout the day. Some people describe a prickling sensation, while others describe a feeling of buzzing or tingling.
Tingling can also occur while a nerve is recovering. So, on its own, it does not tell you that the nerve has been permanently damaged.
3. Weakness in your hand or fingers
A nerve injury can affect movement as well as sensation. If a nerve has been affected, you might notice that your grip is not as strong as it was. You may struggle with things that used to be straightforward, such as opening a jar, holding a cup, writing or picking up smaller objects.
4. Increased sensitivity
It is important to note that nerve damage does not always cause a loss of sensation either. Sometimes the opposite can happen, and the affected area can become unusually sensitive. For example, your hand or fingers may become extremely sensitive. A sleeve brushing against your skin, somebody touching the area or a change in temperature may cause discomfort.
Cold can also be particularly unpleasant for some people following a nerve injury.
Is numbness after wrist surgery normal?
Sometimes. This is one of the reasons it can be difficult to know whether something has gone wrong. Following wrist surgery, there may be swelling and irritation around the area that has been treated and some procedures also involve a nerve blocker, which can temporarily affect your sensations.
Having numbness or tingling after surgery does not automatically mean that a nerve has been permanently damaged. It also does not, by itself, mean that medical negligence has occurred.
If you were told that your symptoms should settle but they have continued or become worse, speak to the medical professional who treated you.
Does nerve damage after wrist surgery mean there has been medical negligence?
Not necessarily. Nerve injury is a recognised complication of some wrist procedures, and an injury can occur even when appropriate care has been provided. Equally, there can be circumstances where an injury was avoidable, or where signs of a problem should have been recognised and dealt with sooner.
For a medical negligence claim, we would need to look at the care you received, consider whether the appropriate standard was met and establish whether any failure in that care caused or contributed to your injury. This may involve looking at what happened before the operation, during the surgery and afterwards.
At The Medical Law Partnership, we consider the treatment as a whole. This can include reviewing your medical records, the circumstances of the surgery, the symptoms that developed afterwards and any investigations or treatment that followed.
When should you speak to a doctor?
If you are worried about any change in sensation or movement after your wrist surgery, speak to your doctor or your GP:
- persistent or worsening numbness
- ongoing pins and needles
- new or severe burning or shooting pain
- weakness in your hand or fingers
- difficulty moving your hand or fingers
- increased sensitivity to touch or temperature
- symptoms that are impacting your everyday life
You can also go online to 111.nhs.uk for non-emergency medical advice.
How The Medical Law Partnership can help
You may not even be sure that you have a claim. You may simply know that your hand isn’t right and that you haven’t been able to get a satisfactory explanation from anyone. And that’s okay.
At The Medical Law Partnership, we specialise in medical negligence claims, and our work is focused on helping people understand whether the treatment they received met the required standard of care and, where it did not. You do not need to have worked out what has happened or gone wrong before speaking to us.
We believe you should have a clear understanding of what’s happened before deciding what to do next. And if, after looking at the circumstances, we do not think there are reasonable grounds for a claim, we will tell you that too.
If you are concerned about nerve damage after wrist surgery
Unexpected symptoms after surgery can be incredibly worrying, particularly when you put your trust in a medical professional to help you recover. If you are experiencing numbness, tingling, unusual pain or weakness following wrist surgery, the first step should be to make sure your symptoms are properly assessed by an appropriate healthcare professional.