Determinants of return to activity and work after carpal tunnel release: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Early Return to Work after Carpal Tunnel Release with Ultrasound Guidance

“…Even in patients where RTW exceeded the defined 5-day benchmark for classifying subgroups, CTR-US still resulted in accelerated RTW compared with a 23-day RTW typically reported after CTR. 7 Although this study presents promising findings of the impact of CTR-US on RTW, there are several limitations to consider. First, the observational design lacked a control group, limiting our ability to draw definitive comparisons to other CTR techniques.…”

“…[12][13][14][15][16] In contrast, alternative CTR techniques are associated with substantially longer recovery times based on the results of a recent meta-analysis, with RTW of 18 days for endoscopic CTR, 21 days for mini-open CTR, and 31 days for open CTR. 7 These indirect comparisons highlight the efficiency of CTR-US in facilitating earlier RTW relative to other CTR techniques. A plausible reason for this expedited RTW is the small nonpalmar incision that can typically be closed without sutures, with limited soft-tissue disruption resulting in considerably less postoperative wound sensitivity and pain compared with mini-open CTR.…”

“…Additionally, other factors are known to influence RTW after CTR, including patient motivation, physician recommendations, physical work demands, and legal considerations. [7][8][9] Ultimately, the time to RTW after CTR is traditionally understood as a complex process, influenced by patient, surgeon, procedural, and socioeconomic factors. [7][8][9][10] CTR with ultrasound (CTR-US) guidance is a less invasive surgical alternative that may expedite patient recovery periods compared with other CTR procedures.…”

“…Patients tend to favor CTR procedures involving smaller incisions, 11 and these techniques have been linked to faster RTW. 7 Several smaller-scale studies have reported rapid RTW after CTR-US, ranging from 3 to 7 days. [12][13][14][15][16] The primary objective of this study was to corroborate these previous findings by reporting the time to RTW after CTR-US among employed adults, using the final data from a large multicenter registry.…”

“…[7][8][9] Ultimately, the time to RTW after CTR is traditionally understood as a complex process, influenced by patient, surgeon, procedural, and socioeconomic factors. [7][8][9][10] CTR with ultrasound (CTR-US) guidance is a less invasive surgical alternative that may expedite patient recovery periods compared with other CTR procedures. CTR-US involves a minimal incision, typically less than 1 cm, to access and divide the transverse carpal ligament (TCL).…”