How Much Does Carpal Tunnel Surgery Cost?

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

Inside your wrist, there’s the carpal tunnel. It’s formed by your wrist bones and transverse carpal ligament. A number of tendons and nerves run through this tunnel, including your median nerve. Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when the median nerve gets squished by these tendons swelling up and taking up more room in the tunnel. 

Lots of things can cause this swelling, including an injury to your arm or wrist, or repetitive movements overworking the tendons. If you’re pregnant or going through menopause, the extra fluid you retain can also put pressure on the median nerve. 

While carpal tunnel syndrome can happen to anyone, you could be more at risk if you’re a woman over 40, have arthritis, or work with your hands a lot, among other factors. It can also be as simple as a case of genetic bad luck; some people have smaller carpal tunnels and may be more prone to the syndrome. Annoyingly, sometimes you may never be able to pinpoint exactly what caused it — although you’ll certainly know that you have it! 

A typical symptom is a pins-and-needles sensation in your hand – particularly your palm, thumb, middle finger, and pointer finger. It won’t be in your little finger and parts of your ring finger though, since the median nerve doesn’t connect to these. This tingling sensation can also move into your wrist, spreading up your arm to your shoulder. 

These tingles can progress into pain. You might find this pain only appears at night or it gets worse at night.  

Pain and tingles aside, you may feel like you’re getting clumsier, dropping cups or your phone more often. It’s not in your head, though. With the nerve impacted, your hand can become weaker, leaving you with less grip than usual. 

Thankfully, there’s light at the end of the (carpal) tunnel, with a range of treatments available. What is recommended for you can depend on what’s caused the median nerve to be compressed. 

For some people, taking a break from repetitive activities, like putting down the gaming controller or knitting needles until your hands feel better again, is enough. Icing and elevating your wrist can also help, as can wearing a brace or splint for a while. If this isn’t enough to shift it, you might need to visit a physiotherapist for some specialised exercises to help stretch those tendons and release some tension. 

Other people may need medications to set things right. For instance, corticosteroid injections could help reduce swelling, while taking diuretics could mean you’re peeing more and holding less fluid in your body. 

If nothing else works and your symptoms aren’t improving – or even getting worse – there’s always surgery. Carpal tunnel release surgery is quite straightforward. Your surgeon will cut your transverse carpal ligament (this is the one forming the top part of the tunnel) to relieve the pressure on your median nerve. Don’t worry, though – over time, the ligament will reconnect. Hopefully this time, it won’t press on your median nerve and cause problems. 

How much does it cost to treat carpal tunnel syndrome? 

Are there other out-of-pocket costs for carpal tunnel syndrome surgery? 

If you do need surgery to treat your carpal tunnel syndrome and you opt to be a private patient, your hospital stay might come with a couple of other out-of-pocket costs. 

For instance, you might need to pay an excess. If you’re hoping to have your insurer pay part of your hospital bill, you’ll need to pay at least some of the bill (your excess). This will be a set dollar amount you can find in your policy document. 

Similarly, your policy may have a co-payment attached. This is another set fee, but this one applies for every day you’re in hospital. In the case of carpal tunnel release surgery, you’ll likely be able to go home the same day as you’re admitted, so you probably will only need to make the co-payment once. 

How long will I have to wait for carpal tunnel syndrome surgery? 

While choosing to use the public hospital system does mean you won’t have out-of-pocket costs, it might also mean that you’re left dealing with your stiff and sore hands for longer than you’d like. For instance, in 2022–23, the median waiting time for carpal tunnel release surgery was 83 days, with almost 10% of patients waiting more than a year to be seen.¹Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Elective surgery waiting times 2022–23 data tables

Remember, surgery is usually only recommended for instances where other treatments haven’t worked. As a result, it could mean these long wait times feel even longer as you manage limited use of your hands, along with ongoing pain and discomfort. After all, carpal tunnel syndrome can progress to non-stop pain and even permanent damage if left untreated. 

So, what about the private hospital system? Your wait certainly could be shorter, assuming you’ve already served your policy’s waiting period. It might come down to simply what time works for you and your doctor. 

If you’ve just gotten health insurance for the first time or you’ve recently upgraded your hospital cover, you may not have served your waiting period, though. If carpal tunnel syndrome is a pre-existing condition for you (i.e. you had it before you got your cover), you’ll need to wait at most 12 months before going ahead as a private patient. Alternatively, if it’s just appeared out of the blue, you’ll only need to wait at most two months. 

Wait times for treatments other than surgery will likely depend on your doctor and their availability. You might want to speak with them to get some more concrete figures. 

What level of health insurance do I need to cover carpal tunnel surgery? 

If you’re hoping to use your health insurance to pay for some of your treatment, it may pay to know what kind of coverage is needed.  

For surgery, you’ll need a bronze tier hospital policy or higher. For other treatments, you may need to get out your fine-toothed comb and take a look at a range of extras policies. Cover for services like physiotherapists and occupational therapists could come in handy. Just keep in mind that these may come with limits or have restrictions, like only being applicable if you see fund-preferred providers. 

Some kinds of treatments, like simply resting your wrist or putting some ice on it, probably won’t be covered by any policy.  

Where can I find and compare health insurance?  

Spending hours on the computer creating the ultimate health insurance comparison spreadsheet could be a great way to give yourself carpal tunnel syndrome. Thankfully, at iSelect, we want to see you look after your health. That’s why we make it easy to compare a selection of health insurance policies from different providers online or over the phone. You can get started on our website today or by calling one of our health comparison experts on 1800 784 772. 

Written by

Madeline Pettet

Digital Writer (Health)

Madeline is ready to demystify the technical so customers can save and live their best lives. She’s passionate about sustainability and overall wellbeing. In her spare time, she’s staring adoringly at her cats.

Edited by

Ellie Garran

Digital Editor

As Digital Editor, Ellie is passionate about making our web content clear and simple to save iSelect customers time and effort. They also love knitting and sewing, especially with recycled materials, so you’ll probably find them in the iSelect office wearing a dress made out of a sheet.

Reviewed by

Andres Gutierrez

General Manager – Health

Andres is our General Manager for Health, and he enjoys solving complex problems to make big ideas simple for everyone to understand. He also speaks at least three languages and is currently discovering the joys of being a new parent.