AAOS Releases New Treatment Guidelines for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has approved and released an evidence-based clinical practice guideline on "The Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" containing nine recommendations that include both operative and non-operative treatment options as well as alternative techniques.
The recommendations include traditional bracing or splinting, local steroid injection, oral steroids, ultrasound, and carpal tunnel release surgery.
"Carpal tunnel syndrome, otherwise known as CTS, is among the most common disorders of the upper extremity," said Michael Keith, M.D., chair of the AAOS work group responsible for creating the new guideline. "It affects up to 10 percent of the population and is related to many factors, but is thought to be caused by increased pressure on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel in the wrist."
For more information, visit www.aaos.org/Research/guidelines/guide.asp.