Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Non-Operative Management

Table of Contents

Related Articles

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is refers to sensory loss and motor weakness. This happens when the median nerve in the carpal tunnel is compromised. Disorders from the repetitive or cumulative trauma in the wrist and hand may lead to implications. These include significant loss of hand function and lost work time. The causes of such injuries are related to repeated movements over an extended period of time. The resulting inflammation can affect muscle, tendon, synovial sheaths, and nerves. One of such repetitive stress syndrome is carpal tunnel syndrome.

The carpal tunnel is a confined space between the carpal bones dorsally and the flexor retinaculum volarly. The extrinsic finger flexor tendons and median nerve course through the tunnel. A reduction in the space within the carpal tunnel can compress and restrict the mobility of the median nerve. This results in a compression injury and neurological symptoms distal to the wrist.

Classical Presentation

Patients of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) present with a complaint. These include complaints of pain, tingling or numbness in the palmar surface of the thumb and first two and a half fingers. The symptoms are also described as being worse at night. They typically complain of poor precision gripping, or problems with sustained or repetitive wrist motion (i.e. assembly line work, typing, fine tool manipulation). Clinical tests such as Tinel’s sign and Phalen’s test are positive. Other common impairments include:

  • Increasing pain in the hand with repetitive use
  • Weakness/atrophy in the thenar muscles and the first two lumbricals
  • Tightness in the adductor pollicis and extrinsic extensors of the thumb and digits 2 and 3
  • Sensory loss in the median nerve distribution
  • Possible decreased joint mobility in the wrist and MCP joints of the thumb and digits 2 and 3

Cause

There are a few causation factors. These include the swelling of the wrist joint from trauma to the carpals (i.e. fall or impact on the wrist), and fracture of the carpals.

The synovial thickness and scarring in the tendon sheaths (tendinosis), irritation, inflammation, and swelling (tendinitis) as a result of repetitive wrist flexion, extension, or gripping activities may reduce the space in the tunnel. As such, patients with CTS are likely to provide a history of direct external pressure on the tunnel. Either that, or a history of the wrist held in prolonged full flexion and extension, which include awkward wrist postures (i.e. keyboard and mouse use), compressive forces from sustained equipment use, and vibration against carpal tunnel.

Other factors contributing to CTS include pregnancy (due to hormonal changes and water retention), or other causes of fluid retention. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and connective tissue disorders. They can potentially reduce the space in the tunnel, causing median nerve compression.

Non-Operative Management

Patients will be managed conservatively or operatively. This is dependent on the severity of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). Conservative management of mild forms of CTS includes physiotherapy. It usually yields good results. This is especially so if the injury is recent, and due to awkward wrist postures and repetitive motions of the wrist at work. Physiotherapy intervention is guided by the objective assessment and directed to the causative factors.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation typically lasts about 6 weeks to 4 months. Considerations include:

  1. Splinting- Splint wrist in neutral to minimise pressure in the tunnel and to provide rest from the aggravating activity
  2. Joint mobilisation – mobilise carpals for increased carpal tunnel space if there is restricted joint mobility.
  3. Biomechanical analysis- identify faulty wrist or upper extremity motions. Adapt the environment if possible to reduce the need for faulty motion. Strengthen and increase endurance in stabilising muscles.
  4. Tendon gliding and median nerve mobilisation exercises – A study by Rozmaryn et al (1998) has shown a significant improvement in symptoms in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome patients treated conservatively with the tendon and median nerve gliding exercises. Only 43% of the patients in the experimental group who had the nerve mobilisation exercises underwent subsequent surgical release of the carpal tunnel, compared to 71% in the control group.
    • Tendon gliding exercise – Teach patient tendon gliding exercises to develop mobility in the extrinsic tendons. These exercises should be performed gently to prevent increased swelling. One such flexor tendon gliding exercise consists of 5 finger positions. Start off from neutral (straight hand) to hook fist position. Proceed to a full fist, followed by a straight fist and then thumb flexion. (see figure 1)
Figure 1 - Tendon Gliding Exercise: 1.Straight Hand 2.Claw Fist (hook) 3.Full Fist 4.Table Top 5.Straight Fist
Figure 1 – Tendon Gliding Exercise: 1.Straight Hand 2.Claw Fist (hook) 3.Full Fist 4.Table Top 5.Straight Fist
  • Median Nerve Mobilisation – Start off with Picture 1 (see figure 2) and progress to each successive position until the median nerve symptoms just begin to be provoked (i.e. tingling, but not to the extent of numbness). Stop at this position, as it is the maximum that the mobilisation will go. Sustain position for 5-30 seconds without making the symptoms worse. Alternate between this position and the preceding one. When the patient can be moved into the last position without symptoms, he or she can progress to the next mobilisation position and repeat the routine. This routine should be done 3-4 times daily as long the symptoms are not exacerbated.
Figure 2 - Median Nerve Mobilisation: 1.Wrist neutral with fingers and thumb flexed. 2. Wrist neutral with fingers and thumb extended 3. Wrist and fingers extended, thumb neutral 4. Wrist, fingers, and thumb extended 5.Wrist, fingers, thumb extended and forearm supinated 6.Wrist, fingers, thumb extended, forearm supinated and thumb stretched into extension.
Figure 2 – Median Nerve Mobilisation: 1.Wrist neutral with fingers and thumb flexed. 2. Wrist neutral with fingers and thumb extended 3. Wrist and fingers extended, thumb neutral 4. Wrist, fingers, and thumb extended 5.Wrist, fingers, thumb extended and forearm supinated 6.Wrist, fingers, thumb extended, forearm supinated and thumb stretched into extension.
  • Patient education- Teach the patient to monitor his or her hand for recurrence of symptoms and the aggravating factors. Once the patient understands the mechanism of injury, he or she would then modify activities to decrease nerve injury. Usually sustained wrist flexion, ulnar deviation, and repetitive wrist flexion and extension combined with gripping and pinching are the provoking movements.
  • Strengthening and endurance exercises- Initially, only gentle muscle setting exercises are the only resistive exercises done. It is important that these exercises do not provoke symptoms. Subsequently, dynamic strengthening and endurance exercises with isometrics will be added without increasing the symptoms.

Figure 1 – Tendon Gliding Exercise: 1.Straight Hand 2.Claw Fist (hook)
3.Full Fist 4.Table Top 5.Straight Fist

Conclusion

Overall, the physiotherapy programme endeavours to educate the patient and increase his or her awareness of ‘high-risk’ wrist postures. This is especially so while working. It is also to stabilise the wrist through means of strengthening, thus minimising the recurrence of CTS in future.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

 

Experiencing elbow or wrist pain? Click here to find out more about physiotherapy for elbow or wrist pain relief and how Core Concepts can help

References

  • Bryon, PM: Upper extremity nerve gliding programs used at Philadelphia Hand Center. In Hunter, JM, Mackin, EJ, and Callahan, AD (eds): Rehabilitation of the hand: Surgery and Therapy, Vol II,ed 4, CV Mosby, St Louis, 1995, p 951.
  • Cannon, NM: Doagnosis and Treatment Manual for Physicians and Therapists, ed 4, Hand rehabilitation Center of Indiana, Indianapolis, 2001.
  • Rozmaryn, LM et al. Nerve and tendon gliding exercises and the conservative management of carpal tunnel syndrome. J Hand Therapy 11:171, 1998.

 

Whatsapp Us