ArticleCureus2026
Corticosteroid Injection Versus Surgical Decompression in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Prospective Comparative Interventional Study Using Clinical, Electrophysiological, and Sonographic Outcomes.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common compressive neuropathies. Corticosteroid injection is a pharmacological treatment modality, whereas carpal tunnel release is a surgical treatment option for the management of CTS. Conservative non-pharmacological interventions include wrist splinting, therapeutic exercises, activity modification, ergonomic measures, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. However, the comparative efficacy of corticosteroid injection and surgical decompression remains controversial, particularly when evaluated using objective outcome measures. The present study compared pain relief and median nerve (MN) dynamic mobility following corticosteroid injection and carpal tunnel release in patients with CTS.
methodsThis prospective comparative interventional study included 60 patients with CTS refractory to conservative therapy. Patients were allocated to two groups by alternate consecutive assignment: surgical decompression (Group A,
resultsBoth groups demonstrated significant improvements in pain and symptom severity. No significant differences were observed between the groups in VAS pain scores or BCTQ Symptom Severity Scale (BCTQ-SSS) scores. At baseline, Group A had mean VAS scores for pain, neuroparesthesia, and functional impairment of 6.43 ± 0.97, 4.43 ± 1.76, and 4.40 ± 1.71, respectively, compared with 5.97 ± 0.93, 4.90 ± 1.65, and 3.63 ± 1.25 in Group B. At six months, these scores decreased to 1.93 ± 0.87, 1.17 ± 0.38, and 1.13 ± 0.35 in Group A and to 1.87 ± 0.68, 1.77 ± 0.97, and 2.27 ± 1.17 in Group B. Mean BCTQ symptom severity scores decreased from 45.03 ± 4.73 to 11.30 ± 2.37 in Group A and from 43.20 ± 6.03 to 11.53 ± 2.15 in Group B. Functional outcomes were significantly better in the surgical group. MN mobility improved significantly following surgery compared with corticosteroid injection. Comparison of MN parameters immediately after the procedure and at six months showed no significant differences between the groups except for MN mobility, which was greater in Group A than in Group B (14.51 ± 1.49 vs. 13.62 ± 0.98; p = 0.008). No significant between-group differences were observed in electrophysiological parameters.
conclusionBoth treatment modalities were effective in improving symptoms of CTS. However, surgical decompression provided superior functional recovery and greater improvement in MN mobility than corticosteroid injection.
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