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Mansour W1
1Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Neurology, Giza, Egypt
Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral nerve entrapment syndrome worldwide. It is caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist, is considered the most common and frequent cause of neuropathic disability in adults.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has been successfully used in the treatment of several painful inflammatory soft tissue conditions.
Purpose: To investigate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on carpal tunnel syndrome.
Methods: Sixty patients with unilateral carpal tunnel syndrome from both genders (11 men and 49 women) aged from 20 to 40 years and height from 155 to 180 cm were selected from the physical therapy, neurology and orthopaedic departments of El Sahel Teaching Hospital. All patients received Shock Wave therapy one session per week, for six weeks for 2000 pulses at energy flux density (EFD) of 0.03 mJ/mm2, 1.6 bar. Nerve conduction instrumentation was used for measuring motor amplitude and sensory amplitude and sensory conduction Pinch dynamometer was used to measure the degree of lateral pinch power, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to assess degree of pain for all patients at the beginning and at the end of the study.
Results: The statistical analysis revealed that there were significant improvement (P 0.05) in motor amplitude, lateral pinch power and VAS after shock wave therapy; however no significant difference in sensory amplitude after shock wave therapy.
Conclusion(s): It could be concluded that using ESWT as a conservative treatment in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Implications: We suggest that shock wave therapy is an optimum modality in treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
Keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome,, Median Nerve,, shock wave.
Funding acknowledgements: Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) has been successfully used in the treatment of several painful inflammatory soft tissue conditions.
Purpose: To investigate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on carpal tunnel syndrome.
Methods: Sixty patients with unilateral carpal tunnel syndrome from both genders (11 men and 49 women) aged from 20 to 40 years and height from 155 to 180 cm were selected from the physical therapy, neurology and orthopaedic departments of El Sahel Teaching Hospital. All patients received Shock Wave therapy one session per week, for six weeks for 2000 pulses at energy flux density (EFD) of 0.03 mJ/mm2, 1.6 bar. Nerve conduction instrumentation was used for measuring motor amplitude and sensory amplitude and sensory conduction Pinch dynamometer was used to measure the degree of lateral pinch power, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to assess degree of pain for all patients at the beginning and at the end of the study.
Results: The statistical analysis revealed that there were significant improvement (P 0.05) in motor amplitude, lateral pinch power and VAS after shock wave therapy; however no significant difference in sensory amplitude after shock wave therapy.
Conclusion(s): It could be concluded that using ESWT as a conservative treatment in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Implications: We suggest that shock wave therapy is an optimum modality in treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
Keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome,, Median Nerve,, shock wave.
Funding acknowledgements: Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University.
Topic: Neurology
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University.
Ethics committee: Research Ethical Committee
Ethics number: P.T.REC/012/001996
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
