title: Effect of radial shock wave therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome: A prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
abstract: Three recent studies demonstrated the positive effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for treating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, none have entirely proved the effects of ESWT on CTS because all studies had a small sample size and lacked a placebo-controlled design. Moreover, radial ESWT (rESWT) has not been used to treat CTS. We conducted a prospective randomized, controlled, double-blinded study to assess the effect of rESWT for treating CTS. Thirty-four enrolled patients (40 wrists) were randomized into intervention and control groups (20 wrists in each). Participants in the intervention group underwent three sessions of rESWT with nightly splinting, whereas those in the control group underwent sham rESWT with nightly splinting. The primary outcome was visual analog scale (VAS), whereas the secondary outcomes included the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ), cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve, sensory nerve conduction velocity of the median nerve, and finger pinch strength. Evaluations were performed before treatment and at 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the third rESWT session. A significantly greater improvement in the VAS, BCTQ scores, and CSA of the median nerve was noted in the intervention group throughout the study as compared to the control group (except for BCTQ severity at week 12 and CSA at weeks 1 and 4) (p < 0.05). This is the first study to assess rESWT in a randomized placebo-controlled trial and demonstrate that rESWT is a safe and effective method for relieving pain and disability in patients with CTS. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:977-984, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Sec. 2, Cheng-Kung Road, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yung-Tsan
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Sec. 2, Cheng-Kung Road, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ming-Jen
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, No.161, Sec. 6, Minquan East Road, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu-Ching
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Sec. 2, Cheng-Kung Road, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chih-Ya
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Sec. 2, Cheng-Kung Road, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ching-Yueh
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Sec. 2, Cheng-Kung Road, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tsung-Ying
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Sec. 2, Cheng-Kung Road, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Feng-Mei
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, No. 325, Sec. 2, Cheng-Kung Road, Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.|Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, No. 163, Jiali Road, Xincheng Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liang-Cheng
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000698:Analgesia; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D019220:High-Energy Shock Waves / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: carpal tunnel syndrome; extracorporeal shock waves