Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, including details on symptoms, causes, trauma, diagnosis, physiotherapy.

Single vs. two steroid injections for carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomised clinical trial.

Wong SM, Hui AC, Lo SK, Chiu JH, Poon WF, Wong L

Department of Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong.

We investigated the efficacy of a single vs. double steroid injections in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a randomised double-blind controlled trial. Patients with idiopathic CTS were randomised into (i) one group receiving a baseline methylprednisolone acetate injection plus a saline injection 8 weeks later and (ii) a second group receiving methylprednisolone acetate injection at baseline and at 8 weeks. The primary outcome was the Global Symptom Score (GSS). Forty patients were recruited. By 40 weeks, the mean GSS improved from 25.6 to 14.1 in the single-injection group whereas from 26.7 to 12.6 in the reinjection group, but there was no significant difference in GSS between the two groups (p = 0.26). There were also no significant differences in terms of electrophysiological and functional outcomes. The results suggest that an additional steroid injection confers no added benefit to a single injection in terms of symptom relief.

Published 14 December 2005 in Int J Clin Pract, 59(12): 1417-21.
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