Effectiveness of ultrasound and median nerve gliding with and without shock-wave therapy in patients with moderate carpal tunnel syndrome.
Amirhossein Ghasemi, Gholam Reza Olyaei, Hossein Bagheri and 4 others
PMID 36507081WHAT IT FOUND
Adding shock-wave therapy to ultrasound and nerve gliding exercises did not improve pain, grip strength, pinch strength, or function more than ultrasound and gliding alone in patients with moderate carpal tunnel syndrome.
Key findings
01There was no statistically significant difference between the group receiving shock-wave therapy and the group receiving only ultrasound and nerve gliding exercises across all outcome measures.
02Both groups showed significant improvement from pre-intervention to post-intervention in pain, functional status, symptom severity, grip strength, pinch strength, and median nerve cross-sectional area.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study only evaluated short-term effects, so it is unknown if shock-wave therapy offers benefits over a longer period. The combination of therapies makes it difficult to isolate the specific contribution of shock-wave therapy versus the other modalities. The study was conducted in a single location with a relatively small sample size.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that shock-wave therapy is ineffective for carpal tunnel syndrome based on this study alone. It only shows that adding it to ultrasound and nerve gliding did not provide extra short-term benefit compared to those treatments alone.