2019 Clinical Rehabilitation

For both symptom relief and function improvement, manual acupuncture is superior to ibuprofen for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Result of this systematic review has shown that acupuncture and related therapies appear to be effective in improving symptoms, function and pain in carpal tunnel syndrome.

However, validity of such conclusion is limited as majority of the included trials are at high risk of bias from lack of blinding.

Associated adverse events were minimal.

Acupuncture and related interventions for carpal tunnel syndrome: systematic review Wu IXY, Lam VCK, Ho RST, Cheung WKW, Sit RWS, Chou LW, Zhang Y, Leung TH, Chung VCH

2017 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Acupuncture therapy can lead to both clinical and morphological improvements in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.

In this study, 27 female patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome were divided into two groups: one that used only a night wrist splint and another that received additional acupuncture therapy. The measurements were taken from 45 limbs and included a visual analogue scale, the Duruöz Hand Index, and the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire scores. In addition, electrophysiological measurements and observation of the median nerve's cross-sectional area were taken before and after the treatment.

Following the treatment, improvements were observed in both groups according to the visual analogue scale, the Duruöz Hand Index and Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire scores, and the electrophysiological measurements. However, a significant decrease was noted solely in the cross-sectional area of the median nerve in the acupuncture group, while the control group that only used the wrist splint showed no changes. Thus, it was concluded that acupuncture therapy provided both clinical and morphological benefits to patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Acupuncture Effect on Median Nerve Morphology in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: An Ultrasonographic Study Ural FG, Öztürk GT

2014 The American Journal of Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture and electroacupuncture treatments can alleviate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms, enhance nerve repair and improve sensory and motor functions.

The conducted research involved treating 26 confirmed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome patients using acupuncture and electroacupuncture. These patients were divided into two treatment groups based on a neurophysiological grading scale. Fifteen patients were treated with acupuncture and eleven with electroacupuncture, which was administered on both upper limbs at acupoints PC-7 (Daling) and PC-6 (Neiguan) along the pericardial meridian. Each patient underwent a total of 24 treatment sessions lasting 15 minutes each, spread over a period of six weeks.

Evaluation of the results saw improvements in symptom severity after the electroacupuncture treatments. This was based on the short clinical questionnaire by Lo and Chiang, an evaluation method used to gauge symptom severity. Post acupuncture treatment, the patients reported a significant increase in grip strength, particularly on the side more affected by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The electrophysiology evaluation also saw a significant improvement in the motor amplitude of the palm-wrist segment. There was also a notable decrease in Tinel's sign on the side more affected by symptoms. This points to both acupuncture and electroacupuncture having clear therapeutic benefits for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome patients.

Clinical Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Ho CY, Lin HC, Lee YC, Chou LW, Kuo TW, Chang HW, Chen YS, Lo SF