Massage therapy eases the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and increases
grip strength, according to a recent study.
“Carpal
tunnel syndrome symptoms are lessened following massage therapy”
was conducted by staff at the Touch Research Institutes at the University
of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, tingling, burning and
numbness of the hand. Sixteen people diagnosed with this syndrome participated
in the study. All of them held jobs involving heavy word processing or
computer work.
Subjects were randomly assigned to either the standard-treatment control
group or the massage-therapy group. Those in the massage group received
one massage per week on the affected arm for four weeks. They were also
instructed in self-massage, which they were to perform each night before
bed.
The massage routine consisted of stroking of moderate pressure from the
fingertips to the elbow. A massage and pain log was kept by subjects in
the massage group. In the log, participants recorded the times at which
they began and ended self-massage, as well as their levels of pain on
a scale from zero to 10.
Subjects in the control group received no intervention, but were taught
the massage routine after the study ended.
Physicians evaluated participants’ carpal tunnel symptoms, such
as tingling, numbness, pain and strength, at the beginning and end of
the four-week study. The Tinel sign, which tests to see if light tapping
of the affected area elicits pain or tingling, was also used at the start
and finish of the study. Physicians used the Phalen Test at the beginning
and end of the study as well. The Phalen Test involves flexing of the
wrists to see if numbness or tingling occurs.
A nerve conduction test was also performed at the start and finish of
the study. This involved stimulation of the median sensory nerves through
electrodes placed on each subject’s index finger and wrist. Peak
sensory latencies were recorded to test for nerve compression at the carpal
tunnel. Median peak latency was the primary outcome measure.
Assessments were also made before and after the massage sessions on the
first and last days of the study, including the Perceived Grip Strength
Scale; VITAS, a pain assessment using a visual analogue scale; the state
anxiety inventory; and the Profile of Mood States.
Results of the study showed that the subjects in the massage group had
significantly less pain and reduced carpal tunnel symptoms, as well as
shorter median peak latencies and increased grip strength.
“Functional activity also improved as noted in reduced pain and
increased grip strength in the massage therapy group, both immediately
after the first and last massage therapy sessions and by the end of the
study,” state the study’s authors. “Finally, the massage
therapy group reported lower anxiety and depressed mood levels both immediately
after the first and last sessions and by the end of the study.”
*Source: Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of
Medicine in Miami, Florida. Authors: Tiffany Field, Ph.D.; Miguel Diego;
Christy Cullen; Kristin Hartshorn; Alan Gruskin; Maria Hernandez-Reif,
Ph.D.; and William Sunshine. Originally published in the Journal of Bodywork
and Movement Therapies, 2004, Vol. 8, pp. 9-14.