Surgical treatment versus non-surgical treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Study design: Systematic review. Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common and painful compressive peripheral neuropathy with complex symptoms, caused by pressure on the median nerve as it travels through the carpal tunnel. Purpose of the Study: This review aimed to develop a critical systematic review of the research evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of non-surgical intervention compared to surgical intervention in the treatment of patients with CTS. Methods: Four electronic databases (PEDro, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) and two grey literature databases (US ClinicalTrials. gov, and OpenGrey) were used to perform a comprehensive search of the relevant data. Results: A total of 686 potentially related studies were found in the four databases, and no relevant studies were found in the two gray literature databases. 10 studies finally met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review.Five studies compared the effect of local steroid injection and surgical treatment on patients with CTS. Two studies compared manual therapy with surgical treatment.; One study compared splinting with surgical treatments; One study make a comparison between a combined non-surgical treatment program and non-surgical treatment; One study compared the effectiveness of splinting, splinting combined with local steroid injection and surgical treatment. Conclusion:In conclusion, critical analysis of the findings shows that both surgical treatment and non-surgical treatment are effective for the management of patients with CTS. Indeed, surgical treatment shows better effectiveness. Critical analysis of the findings showed that both surgical and non-surgical treatments are effective for the management of patients with CTS. Thus, surgical treatment is more effective.