ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2011
The responsiveness of sensibility and strength tests in patients undergoing carpal tunnel decompression.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Preoperative Physiotherapy Effects on Hand Function and Quality of Life in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: 3 - & 6 - month randomized controlled trial.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2025Trial
- Does sensory relearning improve tactile function after carpal tunnel decompression? A pragmatic, assessor-blinded, randomized clinical trial.The Journal of hand surgery, European volume · 2016Trial
- Trial
- Reported Minimal Clinically Important Differences for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgery: A Systematic Review.Journal of hand surgery global online · 2026Article
- How Does Nerve Mechanical Interface Treatment Impact Pre-Surgical Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Patients? A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Article
- Early Postoperative Recovery after Modified Ultra-Minimally Invasive Sonography-Guided Thread Carpal Tunnel Release.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Article
- The association of sensory phenotype and concomitant mood, sleep and functional impairment with the outcome of carpal tunnel surgery.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2021Observational
- A Controlled Trial Evaluating the Safety and Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Looped Thread Carpal Tunnel Release.Hand (New York, N.Y.) · 2021Article
- Predictors of the patient-centered outcomes of surgical carpal tunnel release - a prospective cohort study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2016Article
- Factors affecting symptoms and functionality of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: a retrospective study.Journal of physical therapy science · 2015Article
- Quantitative evaluation of median nerve motor function in carpal tunnel syndrome using load cell : correlation with clinical, electrodiagnostic, and ultrasonographic findings.Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society · 2013Article
- Use of outcome measures in managing neck pain: an international multidisciplinary survey.The open orthopaedics journal · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSeveral clinical measures of sensory and motor function are used alongside patient-rated questionnaires to assess outcomes of carpal tunnel decompression. However there is a lack of evidence regarding which clinical tests are most responsive to clinically important change over time.
methodsIn a prospective cohort study 63 patients undergoing carpal tunnel decompression were assessed using standardised clinician-derived and patient reported outcomes before surgery, at 4 and 8 months follow up. Clinical sensory assessments included: touch threshold with monofilaments (WEST), shape-texture identification (STI™ test), static two-point discrimination (Mackinnon-Dellon Disk-Criminator) and the locognosia test. Motor assessments included: grip and tripod pinch strength using a digital grip analyser (MIE), manual muscle testing of abductor pollicis brevis and opponens pollicis using the Rotterdam Intrinsic Handheld Myometer (RIHM). The Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) was used as a patient rated outcome measure.
resultsRelative responsiveness at 4 months was highest for the BCTQ symptom severity scale with moderate to large effects sizes (ES = -1.43) followed by the BCTQ function scale (ES = -0.71). The WEST and STI™ were the most responsive sensory tests at 4 months showing moderate effect sizes (WEST ES = 0.55, STI ES = 0.52). Grip and pinch strength had a relatively higher responsiveness compared to thenar muscle strength but effect sizes for all motor tests were very small (ES ≤0.10) or negative indicating a decline compared to baseline in some patients.
conclusionsFor clinical assessment of sensibility touch threshold assessed by monofilaments (WEST) and tactile gnosis measured with the STI™ test are the most responsive tests and are recommended for future studies. The use of handheld myometry (RIHM) for manual muscle testing, despite more specifically targeting thenar muscles, was less responsive than grip or tripod pinch testing using the digital grip analyser (MIE). When assessing power and pinch strength the effect of other concomitant conditions such as degenerative joint disease on strength needs to be considered.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.