Carpal tunnel pain is caused by “something.” Pain doesn’t happen unless there is a reason.
My belief is that if you get rid of the reason–the “something”–then your pain will go away. The reason I believe this is because it’s true!
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a “syndrome,” a collection of symptoms (pain, numbness, etc.) Something caused your symptoms.
Surgery often seeks to get rid of symptoms, but not the cause or causes. That’s how a lot of medicine works–by treating symptoms rather than causes.
I’d rather help you get rid of the “something” that causes your symptoms. That might be muscles in your neck, back, shoulders, upper arms, lower arms, or hands. There’s a lot of information here to help you get rid of the various causes of your carpal tunnel or hand and wrist issues.
Still, I know that some people will decide to have surgery.
You can find a list of questions here to ask a surgeon before you make your decision. Look at the Surgery category.
And, there is a newer “needle carpal tunnel surgery.” It appears to be less invasive because it has smaller incisions but still treats the symptom rather than the cause. I don’t know how widely it is available nor do I know how long the effects last. And, of course, there is always some risk with any surgery.