Kinesiotaping in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Effects of Kinesiotaping in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: Kinesiotaping (KT) is a relatively new technique, which reduces the pressure on the median nerve by extending the transverse carpal ligament. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of KT on Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a randomized, placebo-controlled manner.

Methods: Patients were randomly divided into three groups: Group 1 (KT plus tendon and nerve gliding exercises), Group 2 (sham-taping plus exercises) and Group 3 (exercises alone, control group). KT was applied 3 times with 5-day intervals throughout the study, with "neural technique" for median and ulnar nerves and "area correction technique" for carpal tunnel releasing. In the placebo group kinesiotapes were applied without stretching and proper position. Hand grip strength, VAS, Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ), and Short Form-12 (SF-12) were measured as outcome parameters at the first visit, 3rd and 6th week.

Inclusion Criteria:

• clicical diagnosis of mild and moderate CTS
• having the CTS symptoms for at least 6 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

• electrophysiological diagnosis of severe CTS,
• thenar atrophy,
• local corticosteroid injection or KT application or physical therapy treatment for CTS within the last 3 months,
• patients with secondary metabolic causes for CTS (such as diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, thyroid disease),
• patients with other conditions that may cause neck and arm pain (cervical disc hernia, arthritis, epicondylitis, rotator cuff syndrome),
• a history of fracture in the wrist,
• previous CTS surgery.