Effectiveness Transfer Energy Capacitive and Resistive Therapy in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ultrasound and Transfer Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) Therapy in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Transfer Energy Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy on pain, symptom severity and function in patients diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) based on clinical and electromyography (EMG) findings and to compare it with ultrasound therapy (US).

Methods: A total of 42 patients aged between 18 and 65 years, were randomly divided into two groups; group 1, US therapy 5 minutes intermittently for 2 weeks, 5 times a week, for a total of 10 sessions, group 2 TECAR therapy 5 min capacitive (CAP) and 10 min resistive (RES), 3 days a week for 2 weeks, for a total of 6 sessions. Both groups received paraffin therapy and wrist orthosis. All Patients were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and paresthesia levels, the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) for symptom severity and functional levels. Additionally, median nerve CSA was measured by ultrasound, at the baseline, post-treatment, first and third months.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Energy Transfer Capacitative and Resistive Therapy
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: TECAR; Device: US therapy

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 42
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Ankara, Turkey
    • Özge TEZEN

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years of age and over
• had pain and numbness in their hands for more than 3 months were evaluated
• Patients diagnosed with mild and moderate CTS by EMG

Exclusion Criteria:

• metabolic, rheumatic, or neurological diseases that could affect the median nerve cross-sectional area (CSA)
• patients who had previously undergone surgery on the wrist,
• oncology patients,
• pregnancy,
• pacemakers.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: US therapy, paraffin therapy; Group 1, US therapy to the palmar region of the wrist, 5 minutes intermittently for 2 weeks, 5 times a week, for a total of 10 sessions and Paraffin therapy to the wrist area by dipping the hand 3 times into a paraffin bath and removing it, covering the entire wrist with paraffin, and waiting for 15 min (2 weeks, 5 times a week, for a total of 10 sessions).	Device: US therapy; 3 MHz probe with a BTL brand device at a dose of 1.5 watts/cm2 for 5 minutes intermittently for 2 weeks, 5 times a week, for a total of 10 sessions.
Experimental: TECAR therapy, paraffin therapy; Group 2, TECAR therapy to the palmar region of the wrist, 5 min capacitive (CAP) and 10 min resistive (RES), 3 days a week for 2 weeks, for a total of 6 sessions and Paraffin therapy to the wrist area by dipping the hand 3 times into a paraffin bath and removing it, covering the entire wrist with paraffin, and waiting for 15 min (2 weeks, 5 times a week, for a total of 10 sessions).	Device: TECAR; Transfer Energy Capacitative and Resistive Therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual Analog Scale (VAS)	0 min , 10 is maximum pain score	baseline (0 th day), after-treatment (15 th day), 1th month, 3rd month
Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ)	symptom severity on functional tasks (Symptom Severity Scale), involving 11 items, and the other one on function status properly (Functional Status Scale), involving 8 items. Both subscales of BCTQ are scored between 1 and 5, and higher scores illustrate a greater degree of disability.	baseline (0 th day), after-treatment (15 th day), 1th month, 3rd month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Median nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) measurement	Median nerve CSA was measured by ultrasound on axial view at the scaphoid-pisiform level which is a reliable measurement for CTS. Three measurements were taken for analysis and the average value was recorded	baseline (0 th day), after-treatment (15 th day), 1th month, 3rd month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ankara City Hospital Bilkent

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 15, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 15, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): February 15, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 3, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 7, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): June 10, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 11, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 10, 2024
• Last Verified: June 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome; TECAR therapy; median nerve CSA
• 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: E2-23-3833

Drug and device information, study documents

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