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
. 2025 Apr 18;17(4):e82529.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.82529. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Assessment of the Impact of Specialized Physical Therapy on the Clinical Condition of Patients After Carpal Tunnel Release

Filip Georgiew  1 , Jakub Florek  2 , Adam Bębenek  3 , Grzegorz Sobanski  4 , Pawel Florek  2 , Oles Petrovych  2
Affiliations

Assessment of the Impact of Specialized Physical Therapy on the Clinical Condition of Patients After Carpal Tunnel Release

Filip Georgiew et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of specialized physical therapy on the clinical outcomes of patients whose carpal tunnel surgical treatment failed to meet expected results. The study included 111 patients (130 hands). All patients underwent open carpal tunnel release (CTR) using a standardized surgical technique. Postoperative physiotherapy was uniformly initiated for all patients immediately following the procedure. The effectiveness of treatment was assessed using the Symptom Severity Scale, Functional Status Scale, Numerical Rating Scale, total duration of paresthesia during the provocative test, and sensory excitability threshold evaluation. The first group consisted of patients who were satisfied with the results of the treatment at the follow-up visit two months after the procedure and who had no complications. This group was not subjected to any additional form of therapy. The second group included patients who expressed dissatisfaction with treatment outcomes during the follow-up visit (two months postoperatively); targeted physical therapy was implemented based on the underlying cause. Statistical analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in all assessed parameters in both groups of patients two months after CTR. The second group exhibited worse outcomes on the symptom severity scale and pain intensity compared to the first group. However, the implementation of specialized physical therapy in this group led to an improvement in clinical condition. By the six-month follow-up, the results achieved in both groups were comparable. The implementation of additional specialized physiotherapy enhances the clinical outcomes for patients whose carpal tunnel surgical treatment yielded suboptimal results or who encountered postoperative complications. The choice of physiotherapeutic methods should be tailored to the specific symptoms or complications presented by the patient.

Keywords: carpal tunnel syndrome; entrapment neuropathy; median neuropathy; postoperative physical therapy; surgical treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethics Committee of University of Rzeszow, Poland issued approval 2/01/2010 on January 20, 2010. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The chart introducing the patient flow throughout the study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Group education, night splinting and home exercises reduce conversion to surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome: a multicentre randomised trial. Lewis KJ, Coppieters MW, Ross L, Hughes I, Vicenzino B, Schmid AB. J Physiother. 2020;66:97–104. - PubMed
    1. Serious postoperative complications and reoperation after carpal tunnel decompression surgery in England: a nationwide cohort analysis. Lane JC, Craig RS, Rees JL, Gardiner MD, Green J, Prieto-Alhambra D, Furniss D. Lancet Rheumatol. 2021;3:0–57. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carpal tunnel syndrome: state-of-the-art review. Osiak K, Elnazir P, Walocha JA, Pasternak A. Folia Morphol (Warsz) 2022;81:851–862. - PubMed
    1. Sevy JO, Varacallo M. StatPearls [Internet] Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025. Carpal tunnel syndrome. - PubMed
    1. Complex regional pain syndrome after carpal tunnel syndrome surgery: a systematic review. A Sousa LH, O Costa C, Novak EM, Giostri GS. Neurol India. 2022;70:491–503. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources