Potencial efeito preventivo e terapêutico da actividade física no síndrome do canal cárpico

Abstract

Potential effect of physical activity on therapy and prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome. The carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequent work-related overuse disease, having its incidence increased exponentially in the last twenty years (28). The illness symptoms, reaching people with varied occupations and professions, are extremely limitative with a negative influence in professional and personal life (117). On the other hand, this musculoskeletal disorder treatment is, frequently, slow, onerous and incompatible with professional obligations (27). Thus, CTS prevention seems to be a priority measure to fight this disease and the associated inconveniences. The main aim of this work consists in accomplish a bibliographical revision concerning CTS and obtain data that allow clarification about the role of physical activity (PA) in its primary and secondary prevention. In this way, the main risk factors for the appearance and development of CTS have been reviewed (being distinguished, among others, the high body mass index-BMI-, the age above 30 years, the repetitive hand activities and the diabetes mellitus-DM) as well as the main preventive interventions, suggested by literature. It was verified that i) the main prevention measures are based on the minimization of the illness risk factors and ii) the PA was little investigated as a preventive potential strategy for the manifestation of CTS. In fact, studies that intended to clarify the relation between PA and the prevention of CTS are very few and have been, in most cases, developed with insufficient samples. However, according to the bibliography, it seems justified a more deepened experimental investigation about the potential effects of PA on CTS prevention.