ABSTRACT
Background: carpal tunnel syndrome [CTS] is the most common entrapment neuropathy with annual cost of about one billion. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of intercessory prayer in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome
Methods and materials: in this cross sectional interventional study, patients with electrophysiologically- confirmed diagnosis of CTS had inclusion criteria during 2005 autumn underwent intercessory praying. They were evaluated for subjective symptoms with [VAS 10 cm], objective signs and electrodiagnostic parameters before and 6 weeks after a three-week intercessory praying
Results: 12 patients with 23 hands were enrolled. At 6 weeks after the end of the therapy, subjective symptoms, phalen. reverse phalen and electro diagnostic findings [Median DSL and DML] showed significant changes. [CI 95%. P< 0.05]. Tinel test and Flick Sign, had no statisticaIly significant changes [P >0.05]. About 47/8 of cases cured completely and the others changed so much; however; there were no statistically significant changes in CTS grades in Chi square test. It May be due to the patients low count. 74.99% of patients were satisfied or highly satisfied with the therapy
Conclusion: we recommended that intercessory praying [IP] should be considered as a cost - effective. non invasive, low side effect treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. It deserves to be studied more with enough patient sampling