Comparative Study Of Tendon And Nerve Gliding Exercises Versus Kinesiotaping For Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

ABSTRACT

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy, with a reported annual incidence per 100,000 persons ranging from 324 to 524 among women and 135 to 303 among men There are several treatment options which they can be broadly categorised into surgical and non-surgical. The various nonsurgical methods include use of hand brace, splinting of the wrist, ultrasonic therapy, laser therapy, oral steroids, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), oral vitamin B6, local injection of corticosteroids, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. There are a limited number of studies on the effectiveness of kinesiotaping in CTS. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of ultrasound treatment combined with nerve and tendon gliding exercises and kinesiotaping and to compare the two regimens. Materials and methods: In the present study a convenience sample of 20 individuals between 25 to 55 years suffering from mild to moderate carpel tunnel syndrome were randomly and evenly divided into 2 groups Group A ( Tendon and Nerve gliding exercises ) & Group B ( Kinesio taping). Group A received Ultrasound over the area of carpel tunnel along with tendon and nerve gliding exercises 5 times a week for 2 weeks. Group B received Ultrasound 5 times a week over the carpel tunnel area along with kinesiotaping with 5 day interval for 2 weeks. At the end of 2 weeks the outcome measures which included VAS, Boston CTS Questionnaire assessed in both the groups and the data was statistically analysed. Results: Intragroup analysis of both groups pre and post intervention showed statistically significant values for both the outcome measures VAS and BCTS Questionnaire ( p value< 0.05). Intergroup analysis also showed statistically significant values for outcome measures inferring that Group B was better than Group A (p value< 0.05). Conclusion: The study concluded that both kinesiotaping along with Ultrasound as well as tendon and nerve gliding exercises with ultrasound are effective in reducing pain and improving functional activities in patients with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Kinesiotaping with Ultrasound is more effective than tendon and nerve gliding exercise