Investigation of the Effectiveness of Diadynamic Current in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- Sponsor
- Duzce University
- Enrollment
- 80
Overview
Brief Summary
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), first described by Paget in 1854, is the most common entrapment neuropathy. Conservative treatment approaches are prioritized in patients with mild to moderate CTS. Conservative management includes education, tendon and median nerve gliding exercises, physical therapy modalities, kinesiotaping, manual therapy techniques, injection options, and oral medical treatments. First-line treatment generally consists of education, exercise, and splinting.
Tendon and median nerve gliding exercises represent key components of conservative treatment. Splinting is recommended at all stages of CTS, with wrist splints designed to maintain a neutral position being the most commonly preferred option. The prevailing approach in the literature supports the use of splints primarily during nighttime.
Diadynamic current (DDC) is considered to have a composite analgesic mechanism, primarily explained by the gate control theory. Additional mechanisms suggest that DDC affects both sensory and motor nerves and may increase endorphin release, contributing to pain relief. A single treatment session typically does not exceed 12 minutes. Some studies indicate that the analgesic effect of DDC may be greater than that of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Although TENS is widely used in physical therapy and rehabilitation practice, DDC may represent a realistic alternative for clinical pain management.
The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of diadynamic current therapy on clinical symptoms in patients with CTS and to investigate its impact on electrophysiological findings of the median nerve.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Non Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 65 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Clinically and electrophysiologically diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
- •Provision of informed consent
- •Age between 18 and 65 years
Exclusion Criteria
- •Age below 18 years or above 65 years
- •Median nerve distal motor latency \> 6.0 ms on nerve conduction studies (NCS)
- •Thenar muscle atrophy
- •History of carpal tunnel syndrome surgery
- •History of steroid injection into the carpal tunnel
- •History of physical therapy for CTS within the past 6 months
- •Cervical radiculopathy
- •Tenosynovitis in the ipsilateral upper extremity
- •Other compressive neuropathy in the ipsilateral upper extremity
- •Peripheral polyneuropathy