Question
I was diagnosed with bilateral carpal tunnel in 2005 and had the right hand operated in Aug 2009. Shortly following my op I had an infection which was treated with two courses of antibiotics. I also experienced a burning pain in the palm of my hand and had swelling and stiffness in my fingers. The surgeon thought I had tendonosis and ordered an ultrasound and a bone scan. Results were insignificant except they showed a small suture remained in my hand (which has not been removed). I continued the have severe buring pain that awoke me at night. My hand remained swollen and fingers stiff. I could not form a fist and my grip strength was poor (1 kg). My hand was also very sensitive to any touch. I was put on lyrica (150 mg twice a day) in addiiton to panadene forte and attending hand therapy weekly. My surgeon thought I had early stages of complex regional pain syndrome and I had an MRI. The results noted: mild tenosynovitis in the 2nd dorsal compartment and mild median neuritis. The median nerve is mildly thickened and of increased signal. The surgeon and hand therapist has recommended pain management however the insurance company do not want to approve this right now as they feel CRPS can often be misdiagnosed. Currently I am working 3 days a week but cannot write, drive or use the right hand to grab objects etc. I continue to take the above meds and while they take 'the edge' off the pain I still experience serve burning and a stabbing like pain in my hand and stiff fingers and swollen hand. I have noted no significant changes to my nail or skin but my right hand gets excessively sweaty, which I have thought may be due to the pain. I am also still attending hand therapy weekly with no imrovements to date (I have had no pins and needles since the operation). I am wondering if you could give me any suggestions or insight regarding my ongoing symptoms and treatment. I am feeling quite down about the level of pain I am experiencing and limitations of the hand. I would also appreciate an explaination of the MRI results in layman's terms. Thank you very much for your time!  

Answer
Unfortunately, a good 85% of CTS surgeries are failed.  Did you hae true carpal tunnel syndrome to start with? (pain and numbness in the middle finger)  The MRI, boiled down, says there is inflammation in the median nerve.  I would suggest an evaluation by a good chiropractor.  There can be misalignments that lead to the symptoms that you describe, and may be able to help you