ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The most prevalent entrapment neuropathy is carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Although nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently prescribed for musculoskeletal disorders, oral NSAIDs do not provide any additional benefits for CTS. Nevertheless, the use of NSAID phonophoresis has shown significant improvement, possibly due to increased concentration in the target tissue. The effects of intracarpal injection of NSAIDs on CTS have not been studied. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a controlled trial to compare the efficacy of ketorolac and triamcinolone in treating CTS. METHODS: Mild to moderate CTS patients were randomly assigned to receive either a local injection of 30 mg ketorolac or 40 mg triamcinolone. Patients were evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, severity, function, electrodiagnostic findings, patient satisfaction, and any complications at the injection site, at baseline and 12 weeks after the procedures. RESULTS: Fifty patients participated, and 43 completed the study. Both groups showed significant improvement in the VAS, severity, function, and electrodiagnostic scores at 3 months compared with the baseline. A comparison of the groups showed significant differences in VAS, severity, and function, with the improvement being significantly higher in the triamcinolone group. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: The present study showed that injection of triamcinolone or ketorolac into the carpal tunnel relieved pain, increased function, and improved electrodiagnostic findings in patients with mild to moderate CTS. It also showed that triamcinolone was superior to ketorolac in terms of analgesic effect and resulted in greater improvement in symptom severity and function.
