I had my pre-op appointment this morning (surgery is Tuesday, open carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel subcutaneous transfer). I found out that my doctor believes in completely immobilizing the arm until the stitches are taken out ten days later. That surprised me, I don't think that's the norm anymore?

Anyway after the surgery I'll have a thin bandage on the inside, then a layer of tubing, and then more bandages for a bulky dressing over my arm from my hand to my upper arm/bicep area. The tubing plugs into a cooling system and circulates cold water through to keep the incisions cool without having to use a separate ice pack - supposed to be faster and cleaner this way. And I'll have a sling, too.

I'll have finger exercises to do, but no moving the wrist or elbow until the stitches are taken out ten days after the surgery.

Has anyone had their doctor immobilize their arm like this? Any tips? He has a great success rate, so I'm not arguing with anything he wants to do, I'm just surprised I guess, and looking for similar experiences.