Manual therapy versus surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome: 4-year follow-up from a randomized controlled trial.

Phys Ther. 2020 Oct 30;100(11):1987-1996. Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C, Arias-Buría JL, Cleland JA, Pareja JA, Plaza-Manzano G, Ortega-Santiago R.

Purpose: No study to our knowledge has investigated the effects longer than 1 year of manual therapy in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of manual therapy versus surgery at 4-year follow-up and to compare the post-study surgery rate in CTS.

Conclusion: In the long term, manual therapy, including desensitization maneuvers of the central nervous system, resulted in similar outcomes and similar surgery rates compared with surgery in women with CTS. Both interventions were combined with a tendon/nerve gliding exercise program at home.

See abstract.