Lisa Wilkinson has told of the uncomfortable condition she’s lived with for 20 years after she finally sought surgery to correct it following months of restless nights.
The Today host was absent from the show on Wednesday, posting a slightly cryptic Instagram post later that evening with her left arm in a cast.
“So, I didn’t quite make it in to work today, because this happened…” she wrote.
Back at work on Thursday, the 57-year-old explained she had endured Carpal Tunnel Syndrome since the birth of her son Louis, but the symptoms had been getting progressively worse.
Those symptoms included waking up with a “dead” arm and experiencing “pins and needles”.
“It actually is something I have had for 20 years now. I first got it when I gave birth to our second child Louis,” Wilkinson told co-host Ben Fordham, who had stepped in for Karl Stefanovic.
“Basically my arm was going dead when I woke up in the morning. I’d wake up and have pins and needles, but it’s been getting worse and worse and worse, to the point where for the last two months I haven’t been able to sleep for much more than an hour at a time every night because my arm is just completely dead.”
Like many busy people, Lisa had initially shrugged off the condition before eventually seeking help, first thinking it was a pinched nerve that would go away over time.
"I’d have to stand up and shake it," she said.
"Mothers tend to do this. When you’ve got kids and you’re working and you get busy, you think, ‘oh, I have a pinched nerve or something'.
"I finally got it looked into and discovered it's something called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and I have it in both hands."
Today panelist Dr Ric Gordon said it's actually common for the condition to occur during pregnancy.
Listen: Lisa Wilkinson chats about her life with good friend Mia Freedman on No Filter.
"You have the median nerve which runs through a tiny little tunnel in your wrist," he explained.
Dr Gordon said that nerve supplies the sensation and motor function to the thumb and fingers and a lot of fluid will compress the nerve - causing symptoms such as numbness to hands and up their arm.
He said surgery wasn't always necessary, but in Lisa's case - where it was so bad it was affecting her sleep - surgery should "allow the nerve to function properly" and resolve all symptoms.
We wish Lisa a speedy recovery.
Top Comments
Give me a break. Carpal tunnel is not a life threatening condition, it is a simple surgical release of the tendon done under light sedation and has a quick recovery. It is also very common in menopausal women.