TY - JOUR
T1 - Primary care management of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome referred to surgeons
T2 - Are non-operative interventions effectively utilised?
AU - Burke, Frank D.
AU - Bradley, Mary J.
AU - Sinha, Shiladitya
AU - Wilgis, E. F.Shaw
AU - Dubin, Norman H.
PY - 2007/7
Y1 - 2007/7
N2 - Aim: To investigate the non-operative primary care management (splintage, task modification advice, steroid injections and oral medications) of carpal tunnel syndrome before patients were referred to a hand surgeon for decompression. Design and setting: Preoperative data were obtained on age, gender, body mass index, employment, symptom duration, and preoperative clinical stage for patients undergoing carpal tunnel decompression (263 in the USA, 227 in the UK). Results: Primary care physicians made relatively poor use of beneficial treatment options with the exception of splintage in the US (73% of cases compared with 22.8% in the UK). Steroid injections were used in only 22.6% (US) and 9.8% (UK) of cases. Task modification advice was almost never given. Oral medication was employed in 18.8% of US cases and 8.9% of UK cases. Conclusions: This study analyses the non-operative modalities available and suggests that there is scope for more effective use of non-operative treatment before referral for carpal tunnel decompression.
AB - Aim: To investigate the non-operative primary care management (splintage, task modification advice, steroid injections and oral medications) of carpal tunnel syndrome before patients were referred to a hand surgeon for decompression. Design and setting: Preoperative data were obtained on age, gender, body mass index, employment, symptom duration, and preoperative clinical stage for patients undergoing carpal tunnel decompression (263 in the USA, 227 in the UK). Results: Primary care physicians made relatively poor use of beneficial treatment options with the exception of splintage in the US (73% of cases compared with 22.8% in the UK). Steroid injections were used in only 22.6% (US) and 9.8% (UK) of cases. Task modification advice was almost never given. Oral medication was employed in 18.8% of US cases and 8.9% of UK cases. Conclusions: This study analyses the non-operative modalities available and suggests that there is scope for more effective use of non-operative treatment before referral for carpal tunnel decompression.
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U2 - 10.1136/pgmj.2007.058206
DO - 10.1136/pgmj.2007.058206
M3 - Article
C2 - 17621622
AN - SCOPUS:34547217849
SN - 0032-5473
VL - 83
SP - 498
EP - 501
JO - Postgraduate Medical Journal
JF - Postgraduate Medical Journal
IS - 981
ER -