713 - The Efficacy of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on patients in rural Guatemala.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a common condition with worldwide prevalence. Amongst the nonsurgical treatments, osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a viable option. One study showed that 6 weekly sessions of OMT alleviated symptoms of CTS. The investigators wished to quantify the immediate symptomatic effects of OMT on symptoms of CTS. 

Design:

Patients seen at Kansas City University’s Global Health Outreach in rural Guatemala with a clinical diagnosis of CTS were offered OMT as part of routine medical care. Those who wished to participate were given pre and post-treatment surveys. There were no control groups as the investigators wished to treat all patients.

Results: All 16 participants were non-pregnant women, with almost half having bilateral symptomology (n=7). Ages ranged from 25-64 years, and the most common occupation was working at home (62.5%).  Over half (56.25%) had symptoms for 1-12 months and almost one third (31.25%) had symptoms for 1-10 years. Most (75%) did manual labor daily. Related-samples sign tests showed a statistically significant difference with more participants reporting a decrease in all symptoms (pain, numbness, weakness, tingling) than an increase in symptoms. 


Conclusions:

With previous research showing decreased symptom severity after six weekly OMT sessions, and this project showing short-term decreases in various symptoms, OMT has shown to be a good treatment option for CTS, especially in resource poor settings. This study is limited by small sample size, a demographically limited population by gender and occupation, as well as no follow up to see if benefits of OMT persisted with time. Furthermore, although all participants were clinically diagnosed with CTS, electromyography was not used to confirm the diagnosis or the severity. Future considerations for research could involve comparing OMT to steroid injections and splinting at decreasing symptoms and preventing referral to surgery.