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NCT Number: NCT07074509

Effectiveness of Manual Therapy and Extracoropral Shock Wave Therapy in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of manual therapy and extracorporeal shock wave therapy in patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome.

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Key information

Conditions

Manual Therapy Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Cumulative Trauma Disorders Extracoropral Shock Wave Therapy Median Neuropathy Mononeuropathies Nerve Compression Syndromes Nervous System Diseases Neuromuscular Diseases Peripheral Nervous System Diseases Sprains and Strains Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Tanta University

Tanta, El-Gharbia, 31527, Egypt

About this study

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the most common peripheral neuropathy in the upper limb, occurs due to the entrapment of the median nerve at the wrist. Treatment options for CTS consist of wrist splints, physical modalities, local corticosteroid injections, and surgical release.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a noninvasive technique that uses single-pulse acoustic waves. These pulses are generated outside the body and focused on a specific part of the body.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Both sexes.
  • Patients with mild and moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Exclusion criteria

  • Severe cases of CTS.
  • History of carpal tunnel release surgery.
  • Steroid injection in carpal tunnel in the past 6 months.
  • Cases of thoracic outlet syndrome and cervical radiculopathy.
  • Pregnant females.
  • Systemic rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Hypothyroidism.
  • Patients with bleeding tendency.

Treatment and study plan

Manual therapy

Other

Patients were treated by manual therapy in the form of nerve gliding, soft tissue release, and carpal bone mobilization, three sessions per week for 4weeks.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy

Other

Patients were treated by extracorporeal shock wave therapy. 4 sessions, one week apart, 2000 pulses per session, intensity 1.6 mj/mm, and frequency 8Hz.

Primary outcomes

  1. Visual analogue scale

    Time frame: 3 months post-procedure

    A visual analogue scale (VAS) via 11-point numerical pain rating scale (0=no pain to 10=maximum pain) was used to assess the current level of pain and hand discomfort

Secondary outcomes

  1. Boston Questionnaire

    Time frame: 3 months post-procedure

    The Boston Questionnaire is a standardized, patient-based outcome measure of symptom severity and functional status in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. The questionnaire including two parts, namely the symptom severity scales (SSS) and the functional status scales (FSS), is considered a standard tool to evaluate the patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The SSS contains 11 questions on different symptoms of hand and FSS comprises of 5 questions assessing the difficulty in performing selected activities. The response to each question was scored from one (mildest) to five (most severe) points. The overall scores for SSS and FSS were calculated as the score sum of all questions.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Tanta University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Comparative Study of Effectiveness of Manual Therapy and Extracoropral Shock Wave Therapy in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Jul 20, 2025
Registry last updated
Jul 20, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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