Efficacy of Manipulative Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Overview

Hypothesis: Manipulative treatment can relieve patients of discomfort and dysfunction and then be utilized as a cheap conservative management of CTS. Study design: Two-groups randomized single-blind interventional study.

Background: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the most common compressive neuropathy in the upper limb. It considerably impairs patient's quality of life and generates important social consequences due to the lost of productivity and the cost of treatments. Both surgical and conservative treatment are utilized for CTS management. Manipulative treatment is a conservative, non-drug and cheap management option which can be proposed, but by now, treatment guidelines and reviews do not recommend it due to lack of evidence to assess his efficacy. Hypothesis: Manipulative treatment can relieve patients of discomfort and dysfunction and then be utilized as a cheap conservative management of CTS. Study design: Two-groups randomized single-blind interventional study. Methods: Sixty-six patients reporting CTS symptoms that are confirmed by clinical exam and nerve conduction studies will be included. Participants will be randomized in two arms, one receiving manipulative treatment and one receiving simulated manipulative treatment (1/week for 4 weeks). The main outcome measures will be the DASH questionnaire, the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire, patient estimate on Visual Analog Scale for pain and the EuroQol-5D scale. All outcomes measures will be administrated to participants before the first manipulation, after the last session (4 weeks) and 12 weeks after the baseline measure.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Outcomes

Central Contacts