One of the most common diagnoses, if not the most common, we see at Teton Hand Therapy is carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Typically, with a new eval, conservative treatment is the objective, if the patient is experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, in hopes of avoiding surgical intervention. Our conservative treatment protocol is to fit the patient with a custom-fabricated orthosis to immobilize and protect the affected wrist/hand in order to allow the soft tissues to heal and decompress the median nerve. We combine this with other interventions used during treatment sessions to facilitate the soft tissue healing as well. The most common co-intervention used for this purpose is therapeutic ultrasound, for both its thermal and non-thermal effects on soft tissue, which are pain relief, anti-inflammatory effects, and tissue stimulation respectively. This combination is evidenced-based, as it is supported in current research such as the article referenced below.

Chang, Y.W., Hsieh, S.F., Horng, Y.S., Chen, H.L., Lee, K.C., & Horng, Y.S. (2014). Comparative effectiveness of ultrasound and paraffin therapy in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 15, 399. http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-15-399