A randomised clinical trial of physiotherapy, therapeutic ultrasound and hand splinting for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Manual therapy and neurodynamic exercises, therapeutic ultrasound and hand splinting in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome: A randomised controlled trial.

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12613000140752

Acronym

N/A

Enrollment

120

Registered

2013-02-06

Start date

2010-05-10

Completion date

2011-08-29

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Reviews of the literature show limited evidence for the efficacy of conservative management of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and a lack of studies investigating the long term effects of the non-surgical management of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. The aim of our study is to investigate the long-term efficacy of a multimodal approach comprising of manual mobilisation techniques, education and nerve and tendon gliding exercises (MEX) versus therapeutic ultrasound treatment in managing carpal tunnel syndrome. Hand splinting is included as an adjunct intervention to evaluate its influence on the 2 treatment approaches. We hypothesise that the MEX treatment approach would be superior to therapeutic ultrasound treatment in the long-term and the addition of hand splint in either treatment would improve its overall outcome.

Interventions

Physiotherapy treatment: education, manual therapy, and tendon gliding and neurodynamic exercises for the hand and upper limb. Participants will attend 9 sessions over 7 weeks (twice weekly for first 2 weeks and once a week for the following 5 weeks). The duration of each session will be approximately 30 minutes. Half of the participants in this group will also receive a hand splint (random allocation). The hand splint is worn at night during sleep over the 7weeks treatment period.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 70 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome based on clinical criteria combined with electrodiagnostic test findings

Exclusion criteria

Severe carpal tunnel syndrome Systemic inflammatory diseases Diabetes mellitus Previous surgery or trauma to the upper limb or neck Traumatic onset of carpal tunnel syndrome Cervical radiculopathy or other neuropathy of the upper limb/neck Pregnancy associated carpal tunnel syndrome Pending litigation Treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome within 3 months prior to selection

Outcome results