ABSTRACT
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral compressive neuropathy in the United States affecting over 7 million Americans in 2006, and it has a suggested lifetime occurrence of 48 million. Paresthesias, pain, and weakness are amongst the common complaints of this condition, and diagnosis is commonly confirmed by electrodiagnostic tests (motor/sensory nerve conduction). The Purpose of this study is to examine the effect of using the Carpal Tunnel Dynasplint System (DS) on patients with CTS.

METHODS: Fifty patients diagnosed with CTS were recruited (mean age 51 � 12) and these patients were randomly assigned to the following groups: Experimental patients were fit with a therapeutic DS, and Control patients were only treated only with NSAIDs. The duration of this study was 60 days. The dependent variable was change in the Levine-Katz functional scores and the independent variables were group comparison and nerve conduction.

RESULTS: A One-way Analysis of Variance was conducted with a post-hoc T-tests. The experimental patients showed a statistically significant difference in Levine-Katz scores (P < 0.001, T = 4.265), and the frequency of improved nerve conduction (P < 0.001, T = 4.282) but a significant difference did not exist for control patients, (P > 0.05, T = 0.5462). A significant difference was found between the final Levine-Katz Scores of Experimental vs. Control (P < 0.001, T = 4.408), and the mean difference was 13.56 in this 60 day study.

CONCLUSION: Treatment with the DS in this study significantly reduces the patients� symptoms as demonstrated by improved Levine-Katz function scores and improved electrodiagnostic parameters.