Biomechanical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome for Hispanic women

Abstract Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common compressive neuropathy. The need for advancement in therapeutic treatment modalities is evidenced by the disease prevalence, potential for surgical complications and disparities in surgical availability amongst certain populations, particularly Hispanic

women. Addressing this area of need is critical for regions such as Tucson, Arizona, which has a Hispanic population that is nearly half of the overall population. Non-surgical carpal arch space augmentation (CASA) is a treatment modality for carpal tunnel syndrome developed by our Hand Research Laboratory. This supplement has two specific aims. The first aim is to demonstrate

treatment efficacy of the CASA intervention for symptom relief and hand function improvement in Hispanic women afflicted with carpal tunnel syndrome. The second aim is to compare the CASA intervention and standard-of-care (SOC) brace treatment for symptom relief and hand function improvement in Hispanic women with carpal tunnel syndrome. Hispanic women participants with

carpal tunnel syndrome will be randomized into CASA and SOC groups. The study design is composed of a 4-week intervention phase and a 4-week follow-up phase. Patient-reported symptom and function outcomes will be collected over the 8 weeks. We hypothesize that the CASA treatment will alleviate symptoms and improve hand function of the carpal tunnel syndrome participants.

Furthermore, we hypothesize that CASA treatment will be more effective than the SOC in relieving symptoms and improving hand function. Demonstrating the effectiveness of CASA in relieving symptoms and improving hand function in Hispanic women will provide a contribution to advancing treatment options of carpal tunnel syndrome for populations with evidenced healthcare disparities.