CLINICAL RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
Please note: All posters will be displayed in Salons 10-12.

FRIDAY, 10:15-11:00 AM

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Stoll ST, White HD, Meyer PM, Cipher D, Cruser DA, King HH*.

Efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome: a pilot study.

Osteopathic Research Center, University of North Texas Health Science Center hking@hsc.unt.edu *Presenting author

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) as an adjunctive treatment to standard care for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

METHODS: A power analysis called for 25 subjects in each of two treatment groups, an OMT group and a placebo control group (sub-therapeutic ultrasound). Eligible subjects included adults between 21 and 70 with a clinical diagnosis of CTS and increased latency in median nerve on nerve conduction studies (NCS). Outcomes measures were NCS, edema, carpal tunnel dimensions, symptom severity and functional status (Levine scales), and pinch and grab strength. Subjects received OMT once per week for six weeks. NCS were taken before treatment baseline, at the fourth treatment, and at one week after the last treatment. The MRI of the wrist was taken pre and post treatment.

RESULTS: Thirty-seven subjects completed the pilot study. The primary interest in this study is whether any significant change occurred in the median motor and sensory distal latencies in the OMT group. In the primary outcome of NCS, analysis indicated a trend toward improvement in the median motor latencies (t=2.394, p=0.054) in the treatment group. At the completion of the trial, median latency differences were significant between treatment groups showing improvement in the OMT subjects (t=-2.521, p=0.018). For pain, symptom severity, functional status, and strength measures, subjects who reported improved symptoms and functioning, also had improved strength measures. The OMT group reported a larger mean improvement in pain, but not significantly so. The OMT group improved significantly in functional status from pre- to post-treatment (p=.019), and grip strength also improved significantly for this group (p=.013). MRI results were not significant but showed a trend toward improvement for the OMT subjects in the transverse carpal tunnel dimension (ANCOVA F=3.384, Sig.=0.078).

CONCLUSIONS: The results are suggestive of OMT efficacy in the treatment of CTS and this study has led to a NIH-NCCAM funded three-year R21 research project (Scott T. Stoll, DO, Ph.D., PI, other authors Co-Investigators).

 

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