Splinting vs Surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
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Department of Neurology and Medicine
New York Medical College
Briarcliff
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
To the Editor: In his Editorial1 that accompanied the study by Gerritsen et al,2 Dr Wilgis suggested that surgery should be preferred to wrist splinting. He did not mention other treatment modalities. In February 2002, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of an 830-nm gallium aluminum arsenide laser for treatment of CTS based on experimental data,3 which confirm prior results.4 Naeser et al,5 in a placebo-controlled trial, applied laser light to acupuncture points in conjunction with transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, resulting in an 88% decrease in neuropathic pain and improved sensory nerve conduction. The concomitant benefit of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation suggests that other energy modalities on the electromagnetic spectrum may also be effective. Finally, a colleague and I reported that the constant wearing of static, permanent, multipolar magnetic wrist devices for 1 month produced significant reduction of neuropathic pain in refractory cases …
