Effect of Acupressure on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Pregnant Women

The pregnant women are more prone to develop carpal tunnel syndrome because they retain more fluid during the later stages of their pregnancies. The more fluid retained , the more swelling occurs , squeezing the nerves that run through the hand and finger. Also most women who experience pain, numbness and tingling in the hand for the first time due to pregnancy have no idea that they have carpal tunnel syndrome.

Given the importance of treating CTS and preventing the limitations caused by this syndrome, and since it can turn into a debilitating disease if left untreated, acupressure can be recommended as a safe and noninvasive technique for reducing the severity of clinical symptoms.

Till now, there is no previous studies explored the effect of acupressure on carpal tunnel syndrome in pregnant women. So, this study will be conducted to provide new information about the efficacy of acupressure in management of carpal tunnel syndrome in pregnant women, which will help such pregnant women to overcome this problem and will add new evidence to the field of physical therapy.

Inclusion criteria

• Pregnant women who are clinically diagnosed as having carpal tunnel syndrome .
• Their age will be ranged from 20 to 35years old.
• Their body mass index will not exceed 30kg/m2.
• All of them are in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy.(28-40weeks)
• All of them suffer from mild and moderate CTS.
• Degree of carpal tunnel pain will be 2 or more on Visual Analogue scale.

Exclusion criteria

• Dermatological abnormalities in the skin of acupionts.
• Internal fixation at the area of acupressure application.
• Smokers .
• Metabolic diseases such as Diabetes mellitus.
• Females who had history of fracture or trauma to the hand .