The effectiveness of the low-power laser and kinesiotaping in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, a pilot study.

In mild and moderate cases of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the conservative approach is suggested. The purpose of this study is to assess and compare the effect of low-power laser versus the combination of low-power laser and kinesiotaping on pain, muscle strength, functionality, and electrophysiologic parameters in the patients with CTS. The study was planned as single-blind, prospective, randomized control. 64 hands diagnosed with CTS were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into three groups by closed envelope method. Low-power laser therapy was applied to Group 1 (21 hands), kinesiotaping and low-power laser therapy in group 2 (22 hands), sham laser therapy in Group 3 (21 hands). All patients were assessed by visual numeric pain scale (VNS), hand grip strength (HGS), finger pinch strength (FPS), the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTSQ), before treatment, after treatment (3rd week), and after (12th week) 3 months the treatment with the same physician. Motor and sensory nerve conduction studies were performed with electroneuromyography (ENMG) before the treatment (0th week) and at the end of the 12th week. Comparison of the group 1 with the group 3 showed significantly better improvement in the former in VNS, BCTSQ at 3rd week and 12th week compared to 0th week, and in FPS and HGS at 3rd week. Comparison of the group 2 with the group 3 showed significantly better improvement in the former VNS, BCTSQ, FPS and HGS at 3rd and 12th week compared to 0th week. When Group 1 and Group 2 were compared there was no statistically significant difference in any parameters in the 3rd week, but there was a statistically significant difference in favor of group 2 in FPS and HGS parameters at the 12th week. We have found that the kinesiotaping method applied with low-power laser treatment does not provide any additional benefit to the low-power laser treatment in the short term, however, in the long term, the increase in the HGS and FPS has occurred. In conclusion, low-power laser and kinesiotaping method in the treatment of CTS may be an effective and reliable treatment option in clinical parameters.

Efficacy of diclofenac & thiocolchioside gel phonophoresis comparison with ultrasound therapy on acute low back pain; a prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of Phonophoresis (PP) with the combination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's) and myorelaxant versus routine Ultrasound (US) treatment with non-therapeutic gel on the patients with acute low back pain (ABP). METHODS: Sixty patients with ABP were randomly assigned into 2 groups. In Group 1 (n = 30) US was applied using diclofenac + Thiocolchicoside gel for 10 min and for a total of 10 sessions. In Group 2 (n = 30) the same US protocol was applied with the same setting and timing with Group 1 using US gel that does not contain any pharmaceutical ingredient. Evaluation parameters were Visual numeric scale (VNS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Shober test. RESULTS: Comparison of the results obtained from the two groups before treatment and at second (W2) and sixth weeks (W6) posttreatment showed significant improvement in all parameters in both groups (p < 0.05). Comparison of the groups showed significantly superior improvement in Group 1 for ODI while there was no difference in other parameters at W2. At W6, there was significantly superior improvement in all parameters (p < 0.05) except for Shober test in Group1. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that PP treatment is superior than conventional US therapy at short term in ABP patients.