Effectiveness of Carpal Ligament Self-myofascial Stretching in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Effectiveness of Carpal Ligament Self-myofascial Stretching Over Conventional Physical Therapy on Reducing Pain and Improving Function in Patients With Stage i and ii Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - a Comparative Study

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), also known as median mononeuropathy, occurs when the median nerve is squeezed or compressed as it travels through the carpal tunnel at the wrist. It is common in the age group of 40-60 years. The main aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of carpal ligament self-myofascial stretching over conventional physical therapy on reducing pain and improving function in patients with stage I and II CTS-thirty-six subjects with stage I and II (mild) CTS were recruited. Thirty-six subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the experimental group and control group, with 18 patients in each group. The experimental group received carpal ligament self-myofascial stretching along with conventional physical therapy, while the control group received traditional physical therapy alone. The duration of the treatment was six weeks. The outcome measures used were the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire and the Visual Analogue Scale.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Carpal ligament self-myofascial stretching; Other: Conventional physical therapy

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Saudi Arabia
  • Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 11433
    • King Saud University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients diagnosed with CTS between age group 30 - 60 years.
• Patients with stage I and II (mild) CTS, confirmed by nerve conduction study (EMG diagnosed by a medical professional).
• Patients who are able to read and understand English.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of polyneuropathy.
• Consistent use of adaptive equipment, such as wheel chair or cane.
• Patients presenting with shoulder pathologies.
• Patients with other neurological or musculoskeletal conditions including Cervical radiculopathy, History of wrist and hand fractures, Upper extremity joint dislocations, Brachial plexus injuries, Cubital tunnel syndrome, Rheumatoid arthritis, De quervain's tenosynovitis, Cut injuries of hand.
• Patients who have underwent recent carpal tunnel release (within 1 year).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental group; The participants in this group received carpal ligament self-myofascial stretching along with conventional physical therapy.	Other: Carpal ligament self-myofascial stretching; Carpal ligament self-myofascial stretching is a technique that involves applying pressure and stretching to the carpal ligaments and surrounding myofascial tissues of the wrist and hand. The objective is to release tension, improve flexibility, and alleviate discomfort or pain in the wrist and hand area.
Active Comparator: Control group; The participants in this group received conventional physical therapy.	Other: Conventional physical therapy; In this technique, ultrasound therapy, nerve gliding exercise, tendon gliding exercise, and wrist splinting were performed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire	The Boston carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease-specific patient-filled questionnaire, which comprises of two scales, a symptom severity scale (SSS) and a functional status scale (FSS). The symptom severity scale has 11 questions scored from 1 point (mildest) to 5 points (most severe) and the functional status scale has eight questions scored from 1 point (no difficulty with activity) to 5 points (cannot perform the activity at all). The greater the score, the more severe the severity of the disease.	6 weeks
Visual Analogue Scale	The visual analogue scale consists of a 10-cm line, with the left extremity representing (the absence of pain) and the right extremity indicating (great pain). The greater the score, the more severe will be the pain.	6 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: King Saud University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Masood Khan, MPTh, King Saud University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 17, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 10, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): May 15, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 19, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 19, 2024
• First Posted (Estimated): January 29, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 29, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 19, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Function; Myo-fascial stretching
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Nervous System Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Disease; Neuromuscular Diseases; Mononeuropathies; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Median Neuropathy; Nerve Compression Syndromes; Cumulative Trauma Disorders; Sprains and Strains; Syndrome; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: AWH/EC/01/2022

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No