Known for her iconic roles in "The Blue Lagoon" and "Pretty Baby," actress Brooke Shields recently showed off some new wrist accessories: massive arm bandages. Ouch!
Shields, age 50, has recently undergone double wrist surgery for her carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), reports People Magazine. And on Monday, the star took to Instagram to share the news with her more than 90,000 followers, snapping shots of herself with bandaged wrists and dual arm slings.
"Double wrist surgery....carpal tunnel in both! Relieved!" she captioned one photo. "Told to wear these double arm slings. Feels like a self love exercise!" she captioned another.
CTS is a condition that causes pain, weakness and/or numbness in the hands and wrists as a result of a pinched nerve.
Shields has frequently spoken out about her longterm struggle with CTS, writing about it in her 2005 biography Down Came The Rain.
The actress described the chronic pain that sometimes made it difficult for her to care for her daughter Rowan, who was born in 2003 to Shields and screenwriter Chris Henchy.
"I was still experiencing severe carpal tunnel syndrome, and my hands were unbelievably numb," Shields wrote, of a time when CTS rendered her unable to change her daughters' diaper. "I couldn't manipulate Rowan's harness or diaper effectively. [Chris] had to come to the rescue, and I labored back to bed, frustrated and in pain."
The "Suddenly Susan" star, who also has 9-year-old Grier with her husband Chris, didn't mention how long her recovery is expected to take.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), carpal tunnel release is one of the most common surgical procedures currently performed in the US.
Generally recommended if symptoms last for more than six months, CTS surgery involves severing the band of tissue around the wrist to reduce pressure on the pinched nerve. Surgery is done under local anesthesia and does not require an overnight hospital stay.
