Comparison of effects of kinesiotaping and splinting in carpal tunnel syndrome

Backgrounds: In this study we aimed to compare effects of kinesiotaping versus splint and placebo on pain and functions in short and long term. Methods: In this single-blind, prospective, randomized controlled study, 24 female and 9 male patients (66 hands) with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) were enrolled. Participants were randomized into 3 groups as kinesiotaping, splinting, and placebo (sham) kinesiotaping. Pain and numbness evaluation an VAS, hand grip, pinch grip and lateral grip tests, Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire, and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Scale were performed at the beginning, 4 veeks later and 12 weeks later. Mann Whitney U, Wilcoxon, Kruskal Wallis and Friedman tests were used or statistical analyses. p<0,05 was considered statistically significant. Results: VAS-pain and VAS-numbness scores decreased in all groups compared to first evaluation. The reduction in kinesiotaping (KT) group was more significant than other groups. Boston symptom severity and Boston functional state scores also decreased in all groups, albeit more significantly in KT group. Although KT was found to be efficient on pinch and lateral grip tests in the short term, this effect diminished in the long term. KT was effective for hand grip tests in short and long terms. Conclusion: Kinesiotaping was found to be effective in reduction of VAS-pain and numbness scores both in first and third months. KT was found to be superior than splint and sham groups in reduction of pain and numbness. KT was more efficient in improvement of hand strength tests in the short term. Keywords: kinesiotaping, carpal tunnel syndrome, splint