The Effectiveness of Radial Extracorporeal Shock Waves for Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
This study examined the effectiveness of radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Forty patients with mild to moderate CTS were allocated to two groups: (i) shock wave + wrist splint and (ii) wrist splint. Patients used wrist splints followed by three sessions of low-energy shock wave therapy in the intervention group and wrist splints alone in the other group. The QuickDASH Questionnaire, visual analogue scale and nerve conduction studies were used to evaluate the patients before the study and at 3, 8 and 12 wk after the start of the treatment. At the end of the study, both groups saw the same clinical benefits. However, a significantly greater improvement in the median nerve distal sensory latency was noted in the shock wave group compared with the control group. We suggest that application of shock wave with alternative protocols may be effective in the treatment of CTS in future studies.
Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Gholam Reza
GR
Raissi
Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fatemeh
F
Ghazaei
Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Bijan
B
Forogh
Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Seyed Pezhman
SP
Madani
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
Abbas
A
Daghaghzadeh
Neuromusculoskeletal Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: tannaz.ahadi@yahoo.com.
Tannaz
T
Ahadi
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D059708:Ultrasonic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
Carpal tunnel syndrome; Median neuropathy; Splint