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
. 2016 May;59(5):357-68.
doi: 10.1002/ajim.22564. Epub 2016 Feb 23.

Long-term symptomatic, functional, and work outcomes of carpal tunnel syndrome among construction workers

Bradley Evanoff  1 , Bethany T Gardner  1 , Jaime R Strickland  1 , Skye Buckner-Petty  1 , Alfred Franzblau  2 , Ann Marie Dale  1
Affiliations

Long-term symptomatic, functional, and work outcomes of carpal tunnel syndrome among construction workers

Bradley Evanoff et al. Am J Ind Med. 2016 May.

Abstract

Background: The long-term outcomes of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) including symptoms, functional status, work disability, and economic impact are unknown.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 234 active construction workers with medical claims for CTS and 249 workers without CTS claims; non-cases were matched on age, trade, and insurance eligibility. We conducted telephone interviews with cases and non-cases and collected administrative data on work hours.

Results: Compared to non-cases, CTS cases were more likely to report recurrent hand symptoms, decreased work productivity/quality, decreased performance of physical work demands, and greater functional limitations. Surgical cases showed larger improvements on multiple outcomes than non-surgical cases. Minimal differences in paid work hours were seen between cases and non-cases in the years preceding and following CTS claims.

Conclusions: Persistent symptoms and functional impairments were present several years after CTS diagnosis. Long-term functional limitations shown by this and other studies indicate the need for improved prevention and treatment.

Keywords: administrative data; disability; economic impact; impairment; musculoskeletal disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Evanoff, Dr. Gardner, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Buckner-Petty, Dr. Franzblau and Dr. Dale report a grant from CDC/NIOSH during the conduct of the study. Dr. Franzblau reports personal fees from U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, outside the submitted work.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Change over time in symptoms and functional outcomes among CTS cases treated surgically and non-surgically. FSS - Functional Status Scale; DASH - Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Outcome Measure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Amick BC, Habeck RV, Ossmann J, Fossel AH, Keller R, Katz JN. Predictors of successful work role functioning after carpal tunnel release surgery. J Occup Environ Med. 2004;46:490–500. - PubMed
    1. Armstrong T, Dale AM, Franzblau A, Evanoff BA. Risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome and median neuropathy in a working population. J Occup Environ Med. 2008;50:1355–1364. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cagle PJ, Jr, Reams M, Agel J, Bohn D. An outcomes protocol for carpal tunnel release: A comparison of outcomes in patients with and without medical comorbidities. Journal of Hand Surgery (American Volume) 2014;39:2175–2180. - PubMed
    1. Dale AM, Ryan D, Welch L, Olsen MA, Buchholz B, Evanoff B. Comparison of musculoskeletal disorder health claims between construction floor layers and a general working population. Occup Environ Med. 2015;72:15–20. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Daniell WE, Fulton-Kehoe D, Chiou LA, Franklin GM. Work-related carpal tunnel syndrome in washington state workers’ compensation: Temporal trends, clinical practices, and disability. Am J Ind Med. 2005;48:259–269. - PubMed

Publication types