Riassunto dello studio

One hundred patients clinically diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome were randomized to undergo a single corticosteroid injection (n=52) or wrist immobilization with a night-time orthosis for 6 months (n=48). Primary outcomes of interest included the incidence of paresthesia remission at night time, as well the Boston-Levine questionnaire (BLQ) subscales of symptom severity and functional ability. Secondary outcomes of interest included pain measured on the visual analogue scale (VAS) and incidence of complications. All outcomes were evaluated at 7 days, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months post-treatment. Results revealed that the rate of paresthesia remission at night was significantly higher in the corticosteroid group vs orthosis group at 1,3, and 6 months follow-up (p<0.05). Furthermore, BLQ symptom severity was significantly in favour of the corticosteroid group vs orthosis group at 1,3, and 6 months months (p<0.05 for all). For BLQ subscale of functional status, scores were significantly in favour of the corticosteroid group vs orthosis at 3 and 6 months (p<0.05). No complications were observed in either group.