Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 Jan;26(1):107-16.
doi: 10.1007/s12325-008-0134-7. Epub 2009 Jan 22.

Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of conservative treatment in the management of carpal tunnel syndrome

Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of conservative treatment in the management of carpal tunnel syndrome

Ayşe N Bardak et al. Adv Ther. 2009 Jan.

Abstract

Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is impingement of the median nerve at the wrist. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of tendon and nerve gliding exercises with standard conservative treatment (SCT), which consists of splinting and local steroid injections, in the treatment of CTS.

Methods: This study was a prospective, randomized, single-blind trial. Patients were randomized into three groups: treatment with SCT (Group 1); SCT and tendon and nerve gliding exercises (Group 2); tendon and nerve gliding exercises only (Group 3). A symptom total point score was obtained from five symptoms: hand pain, tingling, numbness, nocturnal numbness, and interrupted sleep. The functional status of the hand was determined by assessing seven daily living activities: writing, buttoning clothes, gripping a telephone receiver, opening jars, doing housework, carrying grocery bags, and bathing. Standard physical examinations (Tinel's test, Phalen's test, reverse Phalen's test, and the compression test) were also performed.

Results: A total of 111 patients who were diagnosed with intermediate-stage CTS were included in the study. At the end of treatment, significant improvements in symptoms and functionality were detected in all groups. However, the recovery of patients in Groups 1 (n=41) and 2 (n=35) were found to be significantly greater than that of patients in Group 3 (n=35; P<0.001). Patient satisfaction was investigated a mean of 11 months after treatment. Percentages of asymptomatic patients in Group 1 and Group 2 were significantly higher than in Group 3 (P=0.02 and P=0.04, respectively).

Conclusion: In the intermediate stage of CTS, SCT was an effective treatment to improve symptoms and functional status. Tendon and nerve gliding exercises alone were inferior to either SCT alone or SCT in combination with gliding exercises.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources