Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29370788›Full record

Trial reportBMC musculoskeletal disorders2018

Comparison of single-dose radial extracorporeal shock wave and local corticosteroid injection for treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome including mid-term efficacy: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Pichitchai Atthakomol, Worapaka Manosroi, Areerak Phanphaisarn, Sureeporn Phrompaet, Sawan Iammatavee, Siam Tongprasert

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.

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  13. State of shock - a systematic review of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in hand surgery.GMS Interdisciplinary plastic and reconstructive surgery DGPW · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Pichitchai AtthakomolDepartment of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. p.atthakomol@gmail.com.
Worapaka ManosroiDivision of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Bangkok Chiang Mai Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Areerak PhanphaisarnDepartment of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Sureeporn PhrompaetDepartment of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Sawan IammataveeDepartment of Orthopaedics, Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Siam TongprasertDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Chiang Mai University · THBangkok Hospital · THNakornping Hospital · TH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecent studies have reported that radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) reduces pain and improves function in patients with mild to moderately severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) compared to a placebo. However, most of those studies used multi-session rESWT combined with wrist support and evaluation of efficacy was limited to a maximum of 14 weeks.

methodsThe prospective randomized controlled trial compared efficacy in relieving pain and improving clinical function between single-dose rESWT and local corticosteroid injection (LCsI) over the mid-term (24 weeks). Twenty-five patients with mild to moderately severe CTS were randomized to receive either single-dose rESWT (n = 13) or LCsI (n = 12). Primary outcomes were evaluated using the Boston self-assessment questionnaire (BQ), while secondary outcomes used the Visual analogue scale (VAS) and electrodiagnostic parameters. Evaluations at baseline and at 1, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after treatment were performed.

resultsThere was significantly greater improvement in symptom severity scores, functional scores and Boston questionnaire scores at weeks 12 to 24 in the rESWT group compared to the LCsI group. When compared to the baseline, there was significant reduction of VAS and functional score in the rESWT group at weeks 12 and 24. The LCsI group had no statistically significant differences in VAS reduction and functional score of the same period.

conclusionsTreatment of CTS using single-dose rESWT has a carry-over effect lasting up to 24 weeks suggesting that single-dose rESWT is appropriate for treatment of mild to moderate CTS and provides longer-lasting benefits than LCsI.

trial registration( TCTR20150709001 ). Registered 9 July 2015.

Indexed as

Adrenal Cortex HormonesAdultAgedCarpal Tunnel SyndromeCombined Modality TherapyExtracorporeal Shockwave TherapyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain ManagementPain MeasurementProspective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAdrenal Cortex HormonesCarpal tunnel syndromeExtracorporeal shock waveRandomized controlled trialSteroid injectionTreatment

Identifiers

PMID29370788
PMCPMC5784684
OpenAlexW2795327314

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.