A Comparison of Manual Therapy and Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the short-term effects on pain, symptom severity, and functionality of different physiotherapy methods applied to patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, and to evaluate the advantages of these over each other. 
 Methods: A total of 75 patients (69 females, 6 males) aged 25-60 years were separated into 3 groups. The patients in Group 1 were given a home exercise program including median nerve and tendon gliding exercises. Group 2 received the same home program plus manual therapy (MT) including soft tissue and joint mobilisation. Group 3 received the same home program plus extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). Pain severity was evaluated with a Visual Analog Scale. Symptom severity and levels of functionality were evaluated with the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire and the Cochin Hand Function Questionnaire. All the patients were evaluated before and after treatment. 
 Results: In both the MT and ESWT groups, a statistically significant difference was determined in the resting and active pain levels after treatment (p0.05). The pain values of both groups were significantly lower than those of the home exercise program control group (p

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Comparative Study of Magnetic Field Therapy and Ultrasound Therapy

“…[3]. Several experimental studies have been carried out to evaluate the efficiency of various therapeutic modalities for managing this condition through its mild and moderate stages, including laser therapy, ultrasound therapy, magnetic field therapy, shock wave therapy, wrist splint, paraffin bath, and manual therapy [4][5][6]. Alterations in blood circulation, cellular metabolism, nerve response, flexibility of connective tissue, and the permeability of biological membranes are some of the effects seen on mammalian tissues when exposed to ultrasound therapy [7].…”