Impact of Walking Aids on the Occurrence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Rehabilitation

Overview

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the use of technical walking aids in the adult population undergoing rehabilitation by evaluating clinical, electrophysiological, and iconographic parameters before and after the use of these devices.

The current evidence indicates that the short-term use of walking aids elicits pressure-induced anatomical changes of the median nerve and that long-term use of walking aids leads to a significant percentage of stroke patients developing clinical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. We will investigate the consequences of using technical walking aids for gait in a broader population of rehabilitation patients. The rehabilitation setting per se may be considered a useful clinical 'human pathological model' for peripheral nerve entrapment. Recruited patients will be naïve to previous use of walking aids and de novo will start using them for gait rehabilitation, regardless of the underlying disease. This intervention model will allow us to identify clinical, electrophysiological, and anatomical changes of the median nerve due to the daily direct pressure elicited by walking aids. We consider that a one-month duration of use of walking aids is needed to observe detectable changes in electrophysiological and ultrasonographical assessment to elicit entrapment neuropathies in patients prone to developing them.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes