I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands. i am in my 8th week recovering. i still feel very sore at the base of my hand. is this normal?

Normal: This is part of the normal healing process. Some patients after carpal tunnel release can develop pillar pain that can take up to 12 months to resolve.

Endoscopic or open?: It depends. If you had the traditional open decompression, then that is normal. On average, it takes 3 to 6 months to fully heal. If you had it done endoscopically like I do it, with no incision on the hand, then most are fully back to work without restrictions within a few days, and fully healed in a few weeks. So in short, it depends mostly on who did your surgery, and how it was done.

Can be: Other things such as arthritis at th base of the thumb, or irritation from prolonged dependency on splints may be suspect as well.