Ultrasonographic and clinical evaluation of additional contribution of kinesiotaping to tendon and nerve gliding exercises in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome

Background and aim: This study aims to ultrasonographically and clinically evaluate the additive contribution of kinesiotaping to tendon and nerve gliding exercises in the treatment of mild or moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Materials and methods: Thirty-eight wrists of patients (n = 21) with CTS were randomized into two groups as the intervention group (n = 19) and the control group (n = 19). Tendon and nerve gliding exercises were given to both groups. In the intervention group, additional kinesiotaping was performed three times with 5-day intervals. Functional assessments were performed with the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire and the Moberg pick-up test. Hand grip and pinch strength were evaluated. Cross-section area (CSA) of the median nerve was measured by ultrasonography. All assessments were performed at baseline and at 3 and 6 weeks after treatment. Results: In the intervention group, there was a significant improvement in all clinical assessments and in the CSA of the median nerve at the level of proximal carpal bones. In the control group, a significant improvement was detected in all clinical parameters except grip strength and ultrasonographic measurements. There was no significant difference in the clinical and ultrasonographic findings between the groups at 6 weeks. Conclusion: Kinesiotaping may provide a positive contribution to ultrasonographic and clinical outcomes in the treatment of mild or moderate CTS in the short term.

Keywords:

Carpal tunnel syndrome, kinesiotaping, ultrasonography,

PDF

___

Bengston KA, Brault JS. Hand disorders. In: Delisa JA, editor. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Principles and Practice. 3rd Ed. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005. pp. 843-854.
Ertekin C. Santral ve Periferik EMG. 1st ed. İzmir, Turkey: Meta Basım Matbaacılık, 2006 (in Turkish).
Tanaka S, Wild DK, Seligman PJ, Behrens V, Cameron L, Putz- Anderson V. The US prevalence of self-reported carpal tunnel syndrome: 1988 National Health Interview Survey data. Am J Public Health 1994; 84: 1846-1848.
Stevens JC. AAEM Minimonograph #26: The electrodiagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Muscle Nerve 1997; 20: 1477- 1486.
Kara M, Özçakar L, De Muynck M, Tok F, Vanderstraeten G. Musculoskeletal ultrasound for peripheral nerve lesions. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2012; 48: 665-674.
Page MJ, O’Connor D, Pitt V, Massy-Westropp N. Exercise and mobilisation interventions for carpal tunnel syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012; 6: CD009899
Thelen MD, Dauber JA, Stoneman PD. The clinical efficacy of kinesio tape for shoulder pain: a randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2008; 38: 389-392.
Williams S, Whatman C, Hume PA, Sheerin K. Kinesio taping in treatment and prevention of sports injuries: a meta-analysis of the evidence for its effectiveness. Sports Med 2012; 42: 153- 64.
Kase K, Wallis J, Kase T. Clinical Therapeutic Applications of the Kinesio Taping Method. Tokyo, Japan: Ken Ikai Co. Ltd.; 2003.
Levine DW, Simmons BP, Koris MJ, Daltroy LH, Hohl GG, Fossel AH. A self-administered questionnaire for the assessment of severity of symptoms and functional status in carpal tunnel syndrome. J Bone Joint Surg Am 1993; 75: 1585- 1592.
Heybeli N, Özerdemoğlu RA, Aksoy OG, Mumcu EF. Karpal tünel sendromu: cerrahi tedavi izleminde fonksiyonel ve semptomatik skorlama. Acta Orthopaedica et Traumatologica Turcica 2001; 35: 147-151 (in Turkish).
Heybeli N, Kutluhan S, Demirci S, Kerman M, Mumcu EF. Assessment of outcome of carpal tunnel syndrome: a comparison of electrophysiological findings and a self- administered Boston questionnaire. J Hand Surg Br 2002; 27: 259-264.
Mathiowetz V, Weber K, Volland G, Kashman N. Reliability and validity of grip and pinch strength evaluations. J Hand Surg Am 1984; 9: 222-226.
Amirjani N, Ashworth NL, Olson JL, Morhart M, Chan KM. Discriminative validity and test-retest reliability of the Dellon- modified Moberg pick-up test in carpal tunnel syndrome patients. J Peripher Nerv Syst 2011; 16: 51-58.
Cartwright MS, Hobson-Webb LD, Boon AJ, Alter KE, Hunt CH, Flores VH, Werner RA, Shook SJ, Thomas TD, Primack SJ et al. Evidence-based guideline: neuromuscular ultrasound for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Muscle Nerve 2012; 46: 287-293.
Wong MS, Griffith JF, Hui AC, Tang A, Wong KS. Discriminatory sonographic criteria for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Arth Rheum 2002; 46: 1914-1921.
Rozmaryn LM, Dovelle S, Rothman ER, Gorman K, Olvey K, Bartko JJ. Nerve and tendon gliding exercises and the conservative management of carpal tunnel syndrome. J Hand Ther 1998; 11: 171-179.
Akalin E, El O, Peker O, Senocak O, Tamci S, Gülbahar S, Cakmur R, Oncel S. Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with nerve and tendon gliding exer cises. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2002; 81: 108-113.
Geler Külcü D, Bursalı C, Aktaş İ, Bozkurt Alp S. Kinesiotaping as an alternative treatment method for carpal tunnel syndrome. Turk J Med Sci 2016; 46: 1042-1049.
Öncü J, İlişer R, Köymen Yılmaz F, Kuran B. Karpal tünel sendromu tedavisinde kinezyo bantlama tekniğinin hastalık semptomları, el fonksiyonu ve kavrama gücüne etkisi: tek kör randomize kontrollü çalışma. Türkiye Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Dergisi 2014; 60: 43-51.
Fu T, Cao M, Liu f, Zhu J,Ye D, Feng x, Xu Y, Wang G, Bai G . Carpal tunnel syndrome assessment with ultrasonography: value of inlet-to-outlet median nerve area ratio in patients versus healthy volunteers. PLoS One 2015; 10: 1-11.