Carpal tunnel release stops the night tingling within days, then people panic at week 4 when the palm hurts and the grip is gone. Pillar pain, scar sensitivity and a 3 to 6 month grip timeline are all normal. Here’s the honest week-by-week.
Tingling ring and little fingers point to the elbow, not the wrist: cubital tunnel syndrome, the funny bone nerve being squeezed by hours of bent elbows. Early, it’s fixed mostly by habit changes. Late, the nerve doesn’t fully come back.
Night tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers that shakes out is early carpal tunnel, and a night splint genuinely helps. Constant numbness and a flattening thumb mound mean the nerve is dying. Here’s the honest timeline between those two points.