carpal tunnel syndrome

Surgery is better than medical care for carpal tunnel

SURGICAL management of carpal tunnel syndrome results in greater improvements in symptom relief and function than medical management, according to a randomised trial. Researchers allocated 116 patients to receive either surgery (open and endoscopic) with hand therapy or a multimodal medical treatment. Medical treatment included daily NSAIDs, customised hand therapy for six weeks, education and home exercises that focused on ligament stretching, tendon gliding and splint use at night. Patients were assessed for function and symptom scores at three, six, nine and 12 months, using the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Assessment Questionnaire. Only those in the ...