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To the Editor: In the study by Dr Gerritsen and colleagues,¹ several patients from the splinting group underwent surgery before completing the 18-month follow-up even though the trend of success was increasing for the splint group and decreasing (after 6 months) for the surgery group. In addition, only 31% received custom splints, which are known to yield higher compliance and better results.² It is likewise noteworthy that the splint protocol was only for nighttime use, which has been demonstrated to be less effective than full-time wear.³ Comparison of splints to surgery is a futile effort. It might be appropriate to compare surgery with steroid injection, or with a combination of conservative methods, but not to splinting in isolation. A typical treatment plan for CTS applies a multifaceted approach, including anti-inflammatory medication with splinting, in addition to various forms of physical therapy, exercises, and manipulation.⁴

Benjamin M. Sucher, DO
Center for . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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