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64 active trials for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Conditioning Electrical Stimulation to Improve Outcomes in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is common, identified in 3% of the general population. Symptoms including numbness and pain are due to compression of the median nerve as it travels through a tunnel entering the wrist and can result in weakened grip strength and poor dexterity. Despite surgical release, nerve damage due to chronic compression often cannot be completely reversed, with resulting sensorimotor deficits. Postoperative electrical stimulation (ES) has been well-reported to improve nerve regeneration and is currently standard of practice at our institution. Investigators of this study have recently shown in an animal model that by changing the timing of the ES from postoperative to preoperative, this "conditioning" electrical stimulation (CES) significantly improves nerve regeneration. Patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome will be identified in plastic surgery clinics. Patients who consent to participating will undergo baseline testing including nerve conduction studies, sensory evaluation, motor testing, and patient-reported outcomes. Participants will be randomized to three groups: i) CES, ii) postoperative ES, and iii) no ES. CES will be delivered in clinic by placing a percutaneous needle alongside the median nerve, and stimulation will be delivered for one hour, with patient comfort dictating the voltage of stimulation. At the completion of one hour, the needle will be removed, and a standard carpal tunnel release will be performed by their plastic surgeon 4-7 days later. Patients will the second cohort will undergo postoperative ES immediately following their carpal tunnel release, using the same stimulation parameters as CES. The third cohort will receive only carpal tunnel release without stimulation.In all patients, sensory and motor reinnervation, using the same testing modalities as preoperative assessment, will be evaluated at 3, 6, and 12 months post-operative.

Start: January 2020
Does a Different Local Anesthetic Improve Pain After Carpal Tunnel Release?

This study is being conducted to determine whether addition of a longer-acting local anesthetic to our current anesthetic protocol improves the post-operative pain after carpal tunnel release. Participants undergoing carpal tunnel release (CTR) will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: the standard anesthetic or the longer-acting anesthetic. Participants will not be aware of their assignment. Carpal tunnel release will be performed in the standard fashion at our hospital. Participants will record their post-operative pain on a visual scale at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 hours after surgery. They will also record the location of their post-operative numbness at the same time intervals. The day after surgery, a research nurse will call each participant to inquire about their post-operative pain scores and numbness. Participants will also be asked about their consumption of oral painkillers (e.g. Tylenol, ibuprofen) during the first 24 hours. Participants will be re-assessed 3 months after surgery to evaluate improvement in carpal tunnel symptoms. Participants who wish to have carpal tunnel release on both wrists will be randomized to receive one type of anesthetic for the first side and will receive the other anesthetic for the second side. They will not be made aware of which medication is used for each side. This will allow us to directly compare the difference in pain experience between the two anesthetics. We hypothesize that use of a longer-acting local anesthetic will lead to decreased post-operative pain, especially in the first 4-8 hours after surgery.

Start: April 2021
Corticosteroid Injection Effectiveness in Carpel Tunnel Patients With Negative or Mild EMG Studies

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve entrapment syndrome worldwide. There are currently no studies examining the effectiveness of corticosteroid injections in patients with normal (negative) EMG studies. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the duration of symptom improvement post corticosteroid injection in patients with negative or mild EMG studies. The Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire will be given to patients undergoing corticosteroid injections for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome to assess their response to the injection. Investigators will collect data retrospectively. The Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) is administered as per standard protocol to all patients with CTS who have a negative or mild EMG study. The BCTQ assesses the patient's self-reported symptom severity and functional status. Investigators will analyze this data with respect to demographics as well as numbness in the median n. distribution, nocturnal numbness, weakness/atrophy of the thenar musculature, Tinel's sign, Phalen's test, loss of 2-point discrimination, Quick-Dash score, and grip strength score. The primary outcome will be the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire outcome score under the different EMG conditions.The secondary outcomes will be numbness in the median n. distribution, nocturnal numbness, weakness/atrophy of the thenar musculature, Tinel's sign, Phalen's test, loss of 2-point discrimination, QuickDash score, and grip strength score. Both outcomes will be examined in patients with negative or mild EMG readings. This information will allow orthopedic physicians to gain a better understanding of the duration of symptom improvement post-corticosteroid injection, allowing them to fine tune their treatment plans for CTS patients.

Start: December 2020
Effectiveness of a Tele-Rehabilitation Evidence-based Tablet App for Rehabilitation in Traumatic Bone and Soft Injuries of the Hand, Wrist and Fingers.

Trauma and soft injuries of the wrist, hand and fingers have a high incidence, and large social and healthcare costs are generated, mainly due to productivity loss. Therapeutic exercises must be part of the treatment and in the last 10 years the scientific literature highlights the need for the inclusion of the sensorimotor system in both surgical and rehabilitative approaches. Current methods as leaflets or videos lacks of adherence control, evolution control and knowledge of how the patient do the exercises which compromise the expected results. Touch-screens of Tablet devices have showed a large potential to cover these needs and for the retraining of sensorimotor system. ReHand is a Tablet digital tool (Android and iOS) to prescribe and monitor exercise programs based on sensorimotor approach and developed under the guidelines of various healthcare professionals (hand surgeons, physiotherapists, rehabilitators and occupational therapists) to implement home exercise programs and monitor patients. Subjects are selected by emergency, hand surgery, rehabilitation and physiotherapy services of six hospitals from Andalusian Public Health Service through consecutive sampling. Concretely, patients over 18 years of age with trauma and soft injuries of the wrist, hand and fingers, no more than 10 days after surgery or removal of immobilization. Experimental group will receive access to ReHand app to perform a monitored home exercises program. Control group will receive the conventional method employed: a home exercise program in paper with recommendations. Clinical variables will be assessed at baseline before group allocation, 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. At the end of the study, cost-utility variables will be analyzed.

Start: January 2021