Comparison of Clinical Effectiveness of Corticosteroid Phonophoresis and Local Steroid Injection Treatment in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Objective: We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of corticosteroid injection and phonophoresis in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Materials and Method: In this study, we included forty hands of 32 patients who were diagnosed with CTS on the basis of electromyography and physical evaluation and who had complaints of paresthesia and pain in the hands were included to the study. The patients were separated into two groups. Betamethasone injection, splint and exercise were applied to the first group (20 hands) and betamethasone phonophoresis, splint and exercise were applied to the second (20 hands) group. Pain was evaluated by the visual analog scale (VAS), severity of paresthesia by the Liken scale, symptom severity and functional capacity by the Boston Questionnaire: Symptom Severity Scale and Functional Capacity Scale, grip strength by Jamar hand dynamometer, lateral and pulp finger strength by pinchmeter, and finger dexterity by the Grooved Pegboard test. Results: Both groups had statistically significant improvement in pain, severity of paresthesia, hand grip and finger strength, symptom severity, functional capacity and finger dexterity at the end of the 3rd month (p<0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups for any of the parameters (p>0.05). Conclusion: At the end of the 3rd month, betamethasone injection and betamethasone phonophoresis combined with splinting and exercise treatment were equally effective in the management of CTS. Betamethasone phonophoresis can be preferable to injection therapy as it is a non-invasive method. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2011;57:119-23.