Is Perfusion Index an Indicator of Block Success in Ultrasound-guided Infraclavicular Brachial Plexus...
Carpal Tunnel SyndromePerfusion IndexThe infraclavicular nerve block, which is frequently preferred in upper extremity surgeries, provides additional advantages such as reduction in opioid consumption by providing analgesic effect in the postoperative period as welll. The success of peripheral nerve blocks is usually assessed by subjective feedback from the patient, and patient cooperation is needed. The aim of this study is to assess whether the perfusion index level, which can be measured noninvasively, can be a predictor of the infraclavicular block success.
Investigation of the Relation Between Trigger Digit and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
The Comorbidity Between the Trigger Digit and Carpal Tunnel SyndromeThe purpose of this study is to comprehend the association between the trigger digit and carpal tunnel syndrome based on the quantification of the tendon and nerve characteristics. It includes three parts. The first part is an observational study. The aim of the first part is to attempts to measure the gliding and morphological characteristics of the flexor tendons and median nerve in the longitudinal or cross-sectional directions via the ultrasonographical images incorporating with the motion capture experiment of the wrist and fingers. The gliding and morphological features of the tendons and nerve will be compared under different postures or movement patterns of the wrist and hand. The second part is an interventional study. The aim of the first part is to establishes a novel hybrid rehabilitation protocol which combines the tendon gliding exercise with nerve mobilization to treat either the trigger digit or the carpal tunnel syndrome. A randomized controlled trial to investigate the short-term treatment effect and the follow-up examination will be carried out as well. The third part is an observational study. The aim of the first part is to investigate the effects of carpal tunnel release on the hand performances from functional perspectives. In addition, a novel wrist orthosis will be developed to eliminate the bowstringing effect of the flexor tendons after carpal tunnel release.
Non-surgical Intervention for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel SyndromeSusceptibility toThis randomized controlled trial graduate student research study will explore the effect of non-surgical intervention of the dorsal application of Kinesio Tape for carpal tunnel syndrome, and forearm wrist hand pain.
WALANT Technique (Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet) for Carpal Tunnel Release.
Carpal Tunnel ReleaseThe carpal tunnel release (CTR) is now performed almost exclusively under regional anesthesia (RA) in France. RA requires the use of a pneumatic tourniquet to limit blood flow to the operated extremity and create a bloodless surgical field for a clear visualization of the anatomic structures by the surgeon. Multiple approaches to block the brachial plexus can be considered. The most common technique is the axillary block (BAX) that provides complete anesthesia for the patient's arm and forearm. This technique offers anesthesia not only for the surgical area but also for the root of the arm where the pneumatic tourniquet is placed. However this technique have limits: the persistence of a motor block in the arm and the forearm that is not compatible with a quick hospital discharge (short term ambulatory hospitalization) and the need for assistance with dressing and eating after surgery. More distal anesthetic techniques are proposed such as the troncular blocks (TRONC) that avoid motor block of the arm and offer an earlier recovery and autonomy for the patient. However, they lead to a poor tolerance to the tourniquet due to its application on a non-anesthetized area.The pain related to the pressure of the tourniquet can occur within the first few minutes of its inflation, get worse over time and persist for several minutes after its deflation. Therefore, TRONC procedure is less often performed compared to the BAX for major surgeries but it remains appropriate for CTR. The Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) technique is widely used in Canada and has been proposed for hand and wirst minor surgeries. WALANT uses a combination of a local anesthetic (LA) and epinephrine to induce anesthesia and hemostasis in the area of the surgical procedure in order to allow surgeries to be done without the use of tourniquet. Epinephrine is a vasoconstrictor agent that reduces blood flow at surgical site. This bloodless effect is visualized on the skin by a pale color. Thus, WALANT can provide a chemical tourniquet and eliminate the pain from a traditional arm tourniquet. However, this technique is performed with a short-acting LA and does not offer any postoperative analgesia. The association of TRONC using long-acting LA with the WALANT technique could combine the comfort of a surgery without tourniquet to a long-acting analgesia and thus could provide a superior overall comfort. The main objective of this prospective, multicentre, randomized, open-label, parallel-group controlled trial is to evaluate the interest of WALANT technique on patient comfort during CTR performed with TRONC, compared to the tourniquet.
Local Effects of Acupuncture and Nerve Conduction Studies
Carpal Tunnel SyndromeThus study aims to characterize the local, nerve-specific effects of acupuncture on the median and ulnar nerves in the forearm, using nerve conduction studies and quantitative sensory testing. All participant will have carpal tunnel syndrome and the affected median nerve will be compared to the healthy ulnar nerve. Additionally, we aim to compare the local, nerve-specific effect of manual acupuncture to that of low-frequency electroacupuncture and of high-frequency electroacupuncture.
Assessment of the Effectiveness of Ultrasound-guided Acupuncture in the Management of Carpal Tunnel...
Carpal Tunnel SyndromeIn clinical practice, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the common disease of peripheral neuropathy and usually happened to female, mid-age population, overweight persons, and those who overused their hands for work or production. Some research claimed this might be correlated to anatomical characteristics such as the longer anteroposterior diameter or smaller cross section area of the wrist. Preliminary symptoms often start with sensory domain (pain, tingling, paresthesia and especially night awakening due to symptoms mentioned above) and then progress to motor domain (thenar muscle atrophy and clumsiness) if left untreated. Depending on the severity, patient's willingness and convenience, there are many options for CTS. For those whose symptoms are mild to moderate, conservative therapies are usually the first choice, including physiotherapies, local injection and night splints. Local steroid is proven to be effective to relieve the symptoms of CTS shortly up to 3 months. However, the effects will decline gradually and repetitive injections is suggestive. The patients with severe symptoms which comprise thenar muscle atrophy will be advised to receive decompression surgery.the surgery can alleviate the illness with high success rate up to 70%. Unfortunately, there are still patients who will relapse or undergo side effects, for example, finger weakness. In recent years, acupuncture researches focused on CTS intervention have been outgrowing and promising. Whereas, there are still lack of evidence which stands for the therapeutic effects comparing with local steroid injection. This limits the built-up of suspect mechanism of acupuncture intervention for CTS. This is a preliminary, randomized and single-blinded study which started since 2016 and last for a year. The investigators utilize ultrasound to guide the depth of needle penetration which prevents unnecessarily tissues injury such as artery or dry needle injury. This procedure also guarantees the needles lie directly on the upper surface of the median nerve. One group will receive electrical stimulation and another won't. The investigators use electromyography, cross-section area of median nerve, visual analog scale, Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire, six-item scale, The disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand score and Jamar grip dynamometer as outcome measurements. The results gathered from two experimental groups will be compared with the data from the control group whose participants only receiving local steroid injection once in the first week. The participants are all above 18 years old and complain of illness for a least 3 months without any surgery or local injection for a least 1 year. The investigators set up strict exclusive criteria and sample size estimation is 70.
Comparison of Ultrasound-guided Corticosteroid Injection Versus Corticosteroid Injection and Hydrodissection...
Carpal Tunnel SyndromeThe objective of this study is to investigate the effect of ultrasound guided steroid injection versus ultrasound guided steroid hydrodissection to treat patients with CTS.
Neuromedulatory Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Electrical Stimulation in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome...
Carpal Tunnel SyndromeThis is a double blinded randomized clinical trial to study the neuromodulatory effect of tDCS in patients with CTS, the study subject will be randomly into two groups; active and sham group , the active group will receive five sessions of active TDCS over the M1 while the Sham group will receive sham tDCS in which the device will be turned off after 30 seconds. The patient will be assessed by VAS score, Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire , central sensetization inventory , pressure pain threshold, sensory and pain threshold for electerical stimulation before , after the end of the sessions and 4 weeks later.
Effects of Cerebral & Peripheral Electrical Stimulation on Pain and Function in CTS
Carpal Tunnel SyndromeThis is a randomized, double-blind, multi-center, factorial clinical trial to study the effectiveness of cerebral and peripheral electrical stimulation on pain and functional limitations associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The study subjects will be randomly into four groups; (1) active trans-cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) + active trans-cutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), (2) active tDCS + sham TENS, (3) sham tDCS + active TENS and (4) sham tDCS + sham TENS. The patient will be assessed by Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), The Douleur Neuropathique en 4 questions (DN4), Quantitative sensory testing (QST), Pain Pressure Test (PPT) with algometer, Conditioned pain modulation (CPM), Patient ratings of improvement, or worsening, of the pain condition, Quality of Life short-form (SF)-36, Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAMS), Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) and Adverse Events Questionnaire (AEs). This study aims to investigate whether cerebral and peripheral electrical stimulation combined are more effective in relieving pain and functional limitations than the separate application of electrical stimulation in patients with CTS.
The ACTS Trial: N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Night-splinting as a Non-operative Treatment for Carpal...
Carpal Tunnel SyndromeHand Injuries and Disorders4 moreCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve compression syndrome worldwide, causing significant chronic pain, functional impairment, and lowered quality of life for individuals of various backgrounds. CTS is caused by chronic compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel of the wrist, causing numbness and pain in the palm, thumb, index, and middle fingers and eventual weakness of the hand. Many different treatments for CTS have been proposed and studied, including but not limited to non-operative treatments such as wrist splinting, steroid injections, and lifestyle modifications as well as operative treatments, such as surgical carpal tunnel release (CTR). To date, very few oral medications have been shown to be effective as conservative treatments for CTS. In this study the investigators will examine whether there is any benefit to using oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as an adjunctive treatment for mild to moderate CTS in addition to a standard 8-week trial of night splinting. NAC has been used in humans for various purposes, is extremely safe and has very few side effects, and has been shown to have anti-inflammation properties which may help treat CTS. The investigators will study this by performing a randomized controlled trial, comparing patients receiving oral NAC and standard night splinting to patients receiving an identical placebo and standard night splinting. Both patient groups will be assessed using a questionnaire to assess for severity of their CTS symptoms both before and after the 8-week treatment. The primary objective will be to determine whether supplementation with oral NAC in addition to night splinting has any significant impact on patient-reported symptoms and functional impairment when compared to night splinting alone. The investigators will also measure secondary outcomes including whether patients decide to have surgery for their CTS after treatment and/or continued use of other treatments. This study has the potential to have a significant positive impact on patients by identifying a safe, inexpensive, accessible, and well tolerated conservative treatment for mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome, and potentially preventing the need for additional, more invasive treatments such as surgery.