Conservative Treatments of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the comparative efficacy of various conservative treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), including manual therapy (MT), local steroid injections, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and low-level laser therapy, through a comprehensive network meta-analysis.

Data sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, SPORTDiscus, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched to identify published studies until April 2024.

Study selection: Randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of conservative CTS treatments in individuals with CTS were included.

Data extraction: Data from the included articles were extracted independently by 2 researchers, with any disagreements resolved through consultation with a third author. The extracted data included the first author's name, country/region, publication year, sample size, participants' age, disease severity, symptom duration, intervention parameters, follow-up period, and reported outcomes.

Data synthesis: A total of 49 randomized controlled trials involving 11 conservative treatments and 3323 participants were included. The network meta-analysis showed that MT demonstrated the highest efficacy in both short-term and medium-term pain relief with surface under the cumulative ranking curve values of 87.6% and 99.3%, respectively. Dextrose 5% in water and PRP were closely followed in terms of efficacy. Compared to control groups, low-level laser therapy (standardized mean difference=-1.45; 95% CI, -2.16 to -0.74) and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (standardized mean difference=-1.03; 95% CI, -1.86 to -0.20) also showed significant benefits.

Conclusions: This study provides robust evidence that MT and dextrose 5% in water injections are the most effective conservative treatments for CTS which offer valuable insights for clinical decision-making. Further research is needed to assess the long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these interventions.