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Chiropractic manipulation for carpal tunnel syndrome: a systematic review

Chiropractic manipulation for carpal tunnel syndrome: a systematic review
Chiropractic manipulation for carpal tunnel syndrome: a systematic review
Background: Although chiropractic is most commonly used for spinal problems, many chiropractors use manipulations for the treatment of non-spinal conditions. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has been identified as one such condition. This systematic review evaluates the evidence for or against the effectiveness of chiropractic as a treatment for CTS.

Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched from inception until November 2008. Reference lists of retrieved articles were hand-searched. Chiropractic associations were contacted in order to identify further non-published studies. No language restrictions were applied.

Results: Of 26 potentially relevant studies, only one trial of chiropractic for CTS met all the inclusion criteria. The trial was of poor quality and reported no significant differences between the groups on any outcome measure. However, our re-analyses indicated a significant difference in favour of the control treatment (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] use). Adverse effects were noted in both groups.

Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to suggest that chiropractic is effective for the treatment of CTS. Therapy should continue to focus on the use of NSAIDs, corticosteroid injection, splinting and surgical release of the median nerve. Further research into the utility of chiropractic for CTS is required.

carpal tunnel syndrome, chiropractic, systematic review
1758-9983
89-94
Hunt, Katherine J.
5eab8123-1157-4d4e-a7d9-5fd817218c6e
Hung, S.K.
fb66b1c2-02a8-4429-993f-c9ab51745200
Boddy, Kate
c82f054c-52f2-4bd8-8686-96b7fd9b1563
Ernst, Edzard
28f82437-609a-4cd7-8d0c-aa5cc37ad1b8
Hunt, Katherine J.
5eab8123-1157-4d4e-a7d9-5fd817218c6e
Hung, S.K.
fb66b1c2-02a8-4429-993f-c9ab51745200
Boddy, Kate
c82f054c-52f2-4bd8-8686-96b7fd9b1563
Ernst, Edzard
28f82437-609a-4cd7-8d0c-aa5cc37ad1b8

Hunt, Katherine J., Hung, S.K., Boddy, Kate and Ernst, Edzard (2009) Chiropractic manipulation for carpal tunnel syndrome: a systematic review. Hand Therapy, 14 (4), 89-94. (doi:10.1258/ht.2009.009023).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Although chiropractic is most commonly used for spinal problems, many chiropractors use manipulations for the treatment of non-spinal conditions. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has been identified as one such condition. This systematic review evaluates the evidence for or against the effectiveness of chiropractic as a treatment for CTS.

Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched from inception until November 2008. Reference lists of retrieved articles were hand-searched. Chiropractic associations were contacted in order to identify further non-published studies. No language restrictions were applied.

Results: Of 26 potentially relevant studies, only one trial of chiropractic for CTS met all the inclusion criteria. The trial was of poor quality and reported no significant differences between the groups on any outcome measure. However, our re-analyses indicated a significant difference in favour of the control treatment (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] use). Adverse effects were noted in both groups.

Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to suggest that chiropractic is effective for the treatment of CTS. Therapy should continue to focus on the use of NSAIDs, corticosteroid injection, splinting and surgical release of the median nerve. Further research into the utility of chiropractic for CTS is required.

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More information

Published date: 2009
Keywords: carpal tunnel syndrome, chiropractic, systematic review

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 156605
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/156605
ISSN: 1758-9983
PURE UUID: a454aa0d-d83b-4023-b7a2-4ae760e8d263
ORCID for Katherine J. Hunt: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6173-7319

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 01 Jun 2010 12:22
Last modified: 25 Jun 2024 01:43

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Contributors

Author: S.K. Hung
Author: Kate Boddy
Author: Edzard Ernst

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