Effect of Home Exercise with Taping on the Pain and Functional Disability in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Objective: Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common upper extremity compressive nerve disorders in modern people.Various conservative treatments such as taping, exercise, and electrotherapy have been applied to carpal tunnel syndrome and their effectiveness has been proven.This study aims to determine whether home exercise combined with taping is effective for pain and functional disability in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Design: Randomized controlled studyMethods: 21 patients were recruited and were randomly divided into HEx＋T (Home exercise＋taping) group (n＝10) and HEx (Home exercise) group (n＝11). All participants performed Home exercise(tendon and neural gliding exercise) 5 times a week for 6 weeks. Additionally, subject in the HEx group, taping was applied over the wrist and forearm during the training period. Wrist pain was measured by VAS (Visual Analogue Scale). Functional disability was measured using a BCTSQ(The Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire). Results: Both the HEx＋T group and the HEx group showed a significant improvement in wrist pain(p<0.05), and the HEx＋T group showed a more significant decrease in pain than the HEx group(p<0.05). There was a significant improvement in both groups in functional disability (p<0.05), and the HEX＋T group showed more improvement than the HEX group(p<0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that home exercise combined with taping is effective for pain and functional disability in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.