For several years, Jama Pryor experienced worsening pain, numbness and tingling in her hands and wrists especially at night. She first tried wrist braces while sleeping, which eased the numbness for a while. When symptoms returned, she knew she needed to find help.
“I was getting a lot of numbness in my hands, and I especially noticed it at night,” Jama said. “When I was sleeping, I would wake up from the pain and would shake my hands or get out of bed for a few minutes until the pins-and-needles feeling would go away. It really messed with my ability to get a good night’s rest.”
Finding OrthoIndy
After researching specialists online, Jama chose OrthoIndy hand and upper extremity surgeon Dr. Christy Kellams. She was also impressed with OrthoIndy’s reputation and the expertise of its physicians.
“OrthoIndy may be a big organization, but it feels small because they truly take care of you,” Jama said.
Although Jama lived in Westfield, she was willing to travel to OrthoIndy Greenwood to visit Dr. Kellams due to her strong reputation and great patient outcomes.
Evaluating treatment options
At her first appointment, Dr. Kellams confirmed Jama had carpal tunnel syndrome.
“Jama had classic carpal tunnel symptoms: numbness, tingling and waking up at night needing to shake her hands,” Dr. Kellams said. “We started with conservative treatment recommendations and only then discussed surgery if those didn’t work.”
When the braces were no longer effective, Dr. Kellams suggested injections in both wrists. Although they provided some relief, the numbness returned. After weighing her options, Jama decided surgery would be the best long-term solution and felt confident with the support of Dr. Kellams.
“Carpal tunnel surgery is a small outpatient procedure where we make a tiny incision to relieve pressure on the nerve, helping the symptoms resolve and restoring hand function,” Dr. Kellams said. “After surgery, patients often notice improvement almost immediately.”
Life after the procedure
Recovery was straightforward, and Jama quickly returned to her active lifestyle of lifting weights, swimming, walking her dog and working on the computer without pain or numbness.
“It was a quick recovery, and I don’t have any numbness now which is great. I’m so glad I had it done,” Jama said.
Looking back, she describes her care at OrthoIndy Greenwood as exceptional. “The facility was great and everyone there was fantastic,” she said. “It was just a smooth experience from start to finish.”
Today, Jama is back to doing everything she enjoys, free from the limits carpal tunnel once placed on her life.
—
At OrthoIndy, we treat a wide range of conditions or injuries in the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder and upper extremity. Don’t wait – schedule an appointment today with our team at orthoindy.com.
