Effects of placebo-controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the effects of pulsed and continuous ultrasound treatments combined with splint therapy on patients with mild and moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: The study included 46 carpal tunnel syndrome patients who were...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Onur Armagan, Fulya Bakilan, Merih Ozgen, Ozlem Mehmetoglu, Setenay Oner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier España 2014-08-01
Series:Clinics
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322014000800524&lng=en&tlng=en
_version_ 1828307471804923904
author Onur Armagan
Fulya Bakilan
Merih Ozgen
Ozlem Mehmetoglu
Setenay Oner
author_facet Onur Armagan
Fulya Bakilan
Merih Ozgen
Ozlem Mehmetoglu
Setenay Oner
author_sort Onur Armagan
collection DOAJ
description OBJECTIVE: The aim of this placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the effects of pulsed and continuous ultrasound treatments combined with splint therapy on patients with mild and moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: The study included 46 carpal tunnel syndrome patients who were randomly divided into 3 groups. The first group (n = 15) received a 0 W/cm2 ultrasound treatment (placebo); the second group (n = 16) received a 1.0 W/cm2 continuous ultrasound treatment and the third group (n = 15) received a 1.0 W/cm2 1:4 pulsed ultrasound treatment 5 days a week for a total of 15 sessions. All patients also wore night splints during treatment period. Pre-treatment and post-treatment Visual Analogue Scale, Symptom Severity Scale and Functional Status Scale scores, median nerve motor conduction velocity and distal latency and sensory conduction velocities of the median nerve in the 2nd finger and palm were compared. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02054247. RESULTS: There were significant improvements in all groups in terms of the post-treatment Functional Status Scale score (p<0.05 for all groups), Symptom Severity Scale score (first group: p<0.05, second group: p<0.01, third group: p<0.001) and Visual Analogue Scale score (first and third groups: p<0.01, second group: p<0.001). Sensory conduction velocities improved in the second and third groups (p<0.01). Distal latency in the 2nd finger showed improvement only in the third group (p<0.01) and action potential latency in the palm improved only in the second group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that splinting therapy combined with placebo and pulsed or continuous ultrasound have similar effects on clinical improvement. Patients treated with continuous and pulsed ultrasound showed electrophysiological improvement; however, the results were not superior to those of the placebo.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T14:58:34Z
format Article
id doaj.art-0325dab2c9944100b2a07573e80be106
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1980-5322
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T14:58:34Z
publishDate 2014-08-01
publisher Elsevier España
record_format Article
series Clinics
spelling doaj.art-0325dab2c9944100b2a07573e80be1062022-12-22T02:42:22ZengElsevier EspañaClinics1980-53222014-08-0169852452810.6061/clinics/2014(08)04S1807-59322014000800524Effects of placebo-controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trialOnur ArmaganFulya BakilanMerih OzgenOzlem MehmetogluSetenay OnerOBJECTIVE: The aim of this placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the effects of pulsed and continuous ultrasound treatments combined with splint therapy on patients with mild and moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: The study included 46 carpal tunnel syndrome patients who were randomly divided into 3 groups. The first group (n = 15) received a 0 W/cm2 ultrasound treatment (placebo); the second group (n = 16) received a 1.0 W/cm2 continuous ultrasound treatment and the third group (n = 15) received a 1.0 W/cm2 1:4 pulsed ultrasound treatment 5 days a week for a total of 15 sessions. All patients also wore night splints during treatment period. Pre-treatment and post-treatment Visual Analogue Scale, Symptom Severity Scale and Functional Status Scale scores, median nerve motor conduction velocity and distal latency and sensory conduction velocities of the median nerve in the 2nd finger and palm were compared. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02054247. RESULTS: There were significant improvements in all groups in terms of the post-treatment Functional Status Scale score (p<0.05 for all groups), Symptom Severity Scale score (first group: p<0.05, second group: p<0.01, third group: p<0.001) and Visual Analogue Scale score (first and third groups: p<0.01, second group: p<0.001). Sensory conduction velocities improved in the second and third groups (p<0.01). Distal latency in the 2nd finger showed improvement only in the third group (p<0.01) and action potential latency in the palm improved only in the second group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that splinting therapy combined with placebo and pulsed or continuous ultrasound have similar effects on clinical improvement. Patients treated with continuous and pulsed ultrasound showed electrophysiological improvement; however, the results were not superior to those of the placebo.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322014000800524&lng=en&tlng=enCarpal Tunnel SyndromeContinuous UltrasoundPulsed Ultrasound
spellingShingle Onur Armagan
Fulya Bakilan
Merih Ozgen
Ozlem Mehmetoglu
Setenay Oner
Effects of placebo-controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial
Clinics
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Continuous Ultrasound
Pulsed Ultrasound
title Effects of placebo-controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial
title_full Effects of placebo-controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial
title_fullStr Effects of placebo-controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial
title_full_unstemmed Effects of placebo-controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial
title_short Effects of placebo-controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial
title_sort effects of placebo controlled continuous and pulsed ultrasound treatments on carpal tunnel syndrome a randomized trial
topic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Continuous Ultrasound
Pulsed Ultrasound
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322014000800524&lng=en&tlng=en
work_keys_str_mv AT onurarmagan effectsofplacebocontrolledcontinuousandpulsedultrasoundtreatmentsoncarpaltunnelsyndromearandomizedtrial
AT fulyabakilan effectsofplacebocontrolledcontinuousandpulsedultrasoundtreatmentsoncarpaltunnelsyndromearandomizedtrial
AT merihozgen effectsofplacebocontrolledcontinuousandpulsedultrasoundtreatmentsoncarpaltunnelsyndromearandomizedtrial
AT ozlemmehmetoglu effectsofplacebocontrolledcontinuousandpulsedultrasoundtreatmentsoncarpaltunnelsyndromearandomizedtrial
AT setenayoner effectsofplacebocontrolledcontinuousandpulsedultrasoundtreatmentsoncarpaltunnelsyndromearandomizedtrial