Shock wave versus iontophoresis in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

Abstract

Introduction. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most commonly encountered nerve entrapment disorder; it causes pain, numbness, tingling sensation in the hands and leads to work disability. The purpose of this study was to analyse the impact of shock wave and iontophoresis in patients with CTS. Methods. This study was conducted in 30 patients with CTS of both sexes, aged 30–50 years. The patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups. Study group A received shock wave therapy and study group B received iontophoresis therapy. Results. The results revealed a higher improvement in group A than in group B. in group A, there were a significant increase of sensory nerve conduction velocity of median nerve and a significant decrease of pain after treatment, while in group B, there were a less significant increase of sensory nerve conduction and less significant reduction of pain after treatment. The inter-group comparisons showed statistically significant differences in favour of group A. Conclusions. Shock wave is more effective than iontophoresis in the treatment of patients with CTS.