September 2025

shouldersurgdoesithurt

How Much Pain Will I Have after Shoulder Surgery?

Rotator Cuff, Shoulder, Shoulder Pain, Shoulder Surgeon, Shoulder Surgery, Sports Injuries

How Much Pain Will I Have after Shoulder Surgery?

If you are like most Americans, you have a very high risk of having shoulder pain at some time in your life.

If you have a rotator cuff tear, shoulder instability, or labral tear, you may even be considering shoulder surgery.  You probably know someone with a history of shoulder surgery.  It is possible that they told you about their experience, what was performed during the surgery, the healing after the surgery, the rehabilitation process, or how they are feeling now.

Or perhaps they told you how painful it was!

If they did, and you are feeling nervous about having shoulder surgery or a shoulder operation, consider a visit with Dr. Johnny T. Nelson, MD, a Raleigh, North Carolina, shoulder specialist.

Dr. Nelson specializes in shoulder surgery.  This means that he has special training and shoulder surgery and performs more shoulder procedures than most orthopedic surgeons.  It also means that he devoted special time to improving the care of patients who have shoulder pain and shoulder problems.  And one very important aspect of this care is making his patients more comfortable!

If you speak with one of Dr. Nelson’s patients or watch some of his online video testimonials, you will notice that patients mention how little pain they have after the operation.  In addition to modern nerve blocks, Dr. Nelson recommends a special regimen of oral medicines before and after shoulder surgery that have been proven to reduce pain levels.

Many patients do not even need any pain medication at all!

For example, one patient had 3 prior operations on both shoulders, and reports that his fourth operation, the only operation performed by Dr. Nelson, was nearly painless compared to the others.

If you have shoulder pain or are considering shoulder surgery, call 919-872-5296 today to schedule your visit with Dr. Johnny T. Nelson, MD, Raleigh North Carolina shoulder specialis

How Much Pain Will I Have after Shoulder Surgery? Read More »

How Does a Carpal Tunnel Release Work?

How Does a Carpal Tunnel Release Work?

Carpal tunnel, Hand Surgeon, Ultrasound, Uncategorized

How Does a Carpal Tunnel Release Work?

To understand how carpal tunnel release works, it is important to understand the problem of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on a very important nerve at the level of the wrist. This nerve is called the median nerve.

At the level of the wrist, the median nerve passes through a “tunnel,” along with several important tendons that move the fingers and the thumb. This tunnel cannot change in size, it cannot grow wider or more narrow as needed. Because of this, if there is swelling of the tendons and other structures in the tunnel, the nerve gets “crowded out.” The nerve is pinched and constricted in the carpal tunnel.

The pinching of this nerve is bad because a nerve is like an electrical cable: It works by sending signals back-and-forth between the hand and the brain. The signals are mostly “feeling” signals but also can be signals to the muscles in the thumb. If the electrical cable is crushed and loses its ability to send signals, the human brain notices this and experiences numbness, tingling, discomfort, pain which are together called carpal tunnel syndrome.

So how does a carpal tunnel release work?

A carpal tunnel release is a very simple idea. The “roof” of the tunnel is made of a ligament. A carpal tunnel release divides this ligament which allows the tunnel to slightly widen. This allows the nerve to have more “breathing room” so that it can work normally again. As a result, a patient who has a carpal tunnel release can sleep at night, hold a steering wheel without shaking their hands out, etc.

Ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel release, as performed by Dr. Johnny T. Nelson, MD, North Carolina carpal tunnel specialist, widens the carpal tunnel in a very special way. It requires only a tiny “poke” incision about the size of a pea, and the ligament is released from the “inside out.”Therefore, there is no incision in the palm, no need for sutures, no need for splinting, no need for an IV or expensive anesthesia.

Do you have carpal tunnel symptoms? Have you tried splinting, injections, anti-inflammatories and you still have symptoms? Call 919-872-5296 today to schedule a visit with Dr. Johnny T. Nelson, MD, North Carolina’s carpal tunnel specialist!

How Does a Carpal Tunnel Release Work? Read More »

Untreated Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

What If I Choose To Live With My Carpal Tunnel Syndrome And Not Have It Treated?

Carpal tunnel, Hand Surgeon, Ultrasound, Uncategorized

What If I Choose To Live With My Carpal Tunnel Syndrome And Not Have It Treated?

This is a question that Raleigh, North Carolina carpal tunnel specialist Johnny T. Nelson, MD thinks about a lot. He also spends a lot of time talking to patients about this question.

First, it is important to understand that carpal tunnel syndrome is not an emergency condition. It is not like a problem with your heart or lungs that can cause complete disability or even death. So living with carpal tunnel syndrome is an option. Before modern technology like carpal tunnel release using ultrasound guidance, every human being with carpal tunnel syndrome had to live there entire life with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Second, we do not have very much scientific information about what happens to patients who choose to live with their carpal tunnel syndrome. This is simply because no doctor or scientist has studied this in detail. Some scientific studies show that some patients improve over time while carpal tunnel symptoms worsen or become permanent and others.

But what we do know is that if you choose to live with carpal tunnel syndrome, you are taking a risk.

When the carpal tunnel nerve is pinched for a long time, it does not work properly. With a carpal tunnel release procedure, this pinching is relieved and the nerve is allowed to work properly again. If the nerve is pinched for a long time, the symptoms such as loss of feeling in the fingers, pain, and weakness can become permanent.

There is only so much pressure a nerve can take!

Some patients who choose to live with carpal tunnel learn to “live with it.” Raleigh, North Carolina carpal tunnel specialist Dr. Johnny T. Nelson, MD does not recommend this. While the carpal tunnel syndrome may feel like it is improving, what is actually happening is the human brain is learning to “tune out” the pain signals coming from the nerve. The patient may not experience much discomfort and pain, and may even feel like they are sleeping better again, but the feeling in their fingertips does not come back, and their thumb muscles grow very weak. As a result, these individuals are clumsy and frequently drop objects and have weak hands.

If you have carpal tunnel syndrome but do not have the time or resources to have it treated with a carpal tunnel release procedure, you should schedule a visit with Dr. Johnny T. Nelson, MD. There are other ways to treat your symptoms and help you to live a good life temporarily until you have the ability to treat your symptoms for good. Call 919-872-5296 today to schedule your visit!

What If I Choose To Live With My Carpal Tunnel Syndrome And Not Have It Treated? Read More »

My Shoulder MRI Is Normal. Could There Still Be Something Wrong?

My Shoulder MRI Is Normal. Could There Still Be Something Wrong?

Shoulder, Shoulder Pain, Shoulder Surgeon, Sports Injuries, Ultrasound, Uncategorized

My Shoulder MRI Is Normal. Could There Still Be Something Wrong?

No imaging study is perfect. This is very important to understand when it comes to “MRI” studies of the shoulder.

Many patients with shoulder pain will try many treatments to make their pain better, including changing their activities, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory and other medications, and chiropractic adjustment. Often, these treatments can be successful, but when they are not and the pain continues, an MRI study may be helpful to look for a cause of the shoulder pain.

But sometimes even though your shoulder hurts, the MRI looks normal. How can this be?

It is very important to understand that an MRI, much like a photograph, is only a single “glimpse” of one moment in time. It does not show what happens to the structures of the shoulder, such as the rotator cuff, biceps, and labrum, during actual movement of the shoulder.

In other words, an MRI is like a photograph while you actually need a video recording to see the problem!

This is another reason why ultrasound is very helpful. Ultrasound can evaluate the structures of the shoulder during movement. The shoulder can also be re-positioned and structures can be looked at more closely with a simple movement of the ultrasound probe. Dr. Johnny T. Nelson, MD is the only fellowship trained shoulder specialist in the Raleigh Durham North Carolina area that uses ultrasound during clinic visits to evaluate the rotator cuff and other structures in the shoulder.

Because MRI studies can miss tears and other problems in the shoulder, there are situations where patients decide to move forward with a shoulder scope procedure even though very little is found on the MRI. Often in these situations, sizable tears are found in the rotator cuff, even though the MRI was normal! This is well-documented in the medical literature.

If you have had an MRI study of your shoulder and would like to have Dr. Johnny T. Nelson, MD review the MRI and examine your shoulder, call 919-872-5296 today to schedule a visit with North Carolina’s rotator cuff repair specialist!

 

My Shoulder MRI Is Normal. Could There Still Be Something Wrong? Read More »

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