Carpal tunnel syndrome: a study to assess the improvement of grip strength following open carpal tunnel release without neurolysis

ABSTRACT

Grip strength following open carpal tunnel release was studied prospectively over three years in Mansoura university hospital. We examined 40 hands from 30 patients [4 males and 26 females] clinically diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. All patients underwent thorough medical history tacking and clinical examination. All the hands were subjected to routine determination of the distal motor latency [DML] and nerve conduction velocity [NCV] along the elbow-wrist segment of both median and ulnar nerves and Median 2L-versus-ulnar INT distal motor latencies. Jamar dynamometer was used to measure grip strength to all patients before and following carpal tunnel release using the standardized positioning and instructions. Grip strength was found to be 16% of the pre-operative level at two weeks. 32% by four weeks, and 70% by six weeks and returned to 96% of the pre-operative level by three months. At six months grip strength had increased to 110% of the pre-operative level and 118% at one year. Our study also showed the efficiency of the use median 2L-versus ulnar in the confirmation of clinical diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Simple open carpal tunnel without neurolysis is quite enough even in cases with severe muscle atrophy