Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is where pressure on a nerve in your wrist causes pain and numbness in your hand and fingers. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in your fingers, hand or arm. You might first notice that your fingers “fall asleep” and become numb at night. It usually happens because of how you hold your hand while you sleep.

Risk factors include obesity, repetitive wrist work, pregnancy, genetics, and rheumatoid arthritis. Types of work that are associated include computer work, work with vibrating tools and work that requires a strong grip.

In one research published in 2017, all four RCTs used validated CTS-specific scales and reported significant improvement with manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture compared with baseline in the Global Symptom Score Boston Carpal Tunnel Score, Carpal Tunnel Self-assessment Questionnaire, and Visual Analogue Scale. Three of the four RCTs included showed significantly greater effectiveness of acupuncture compared with night splinting, sham acupuncture, oral vitamin B1 and B6, and oral prednisolone.

Dimitrova A, Murchison C, Oken B. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2017;23(3):164–179. doi:10.1089/acm.2016.0155