title: Activity limitations before and after surgical carpal tunnel release among patients with and without diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate activity limitations before and after carpal tunnel release among patients with and without diabetes, to explore differences between genders and the influence of grip strength on activity limitations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-three patients with diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were age and gender matched with 30 patients without diabetes having idiopathic CTS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Activity limitations were assessed pre-operatively, 3 and 12 months after surgery, with the self-administered Evaluation of Daily Activities Questionnaire (EDAQ) containing 102 activity items in 11 dimensions and 3 additional male-activity-oriented dimensions including 22 items.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For all dimensions the mean score was higher for patients with diabetes compared with patients without diabetes. This indicates a more pronounced activity limitation for patients with diabetes. However, no statistical differences between the two groups could be demonstrated. In general, females have significantly higher activity limitation scores than males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CTS creates a broad variety of activity limitations for affected patients. After carpal tunnel release a significant alleviation of these limitations occurs within the first 3 months. Activity limitations seem not to be related to diabetes, but were more pronounced in women than in men, probably due to reduced grip strength.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational Therapy and Gerontology, Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Box 157, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden. ragnhild.cederlund@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Ragnhild I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Cederlund
authors.forename: Lars B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Dahlin
authors.forename: Niels O B
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Thomsen
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000601:surgery*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000601:surgery*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012737:Sex Factors