Effectiveness of Repetitive Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation for Treatment of Mild to Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of active repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) compared to sham rPMS on symptoms severity and functional status among patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to either intervention (active rPMS) or control (sham rPMS) groups. Both groups received rPMS (A20 mode of OPTIMUS Pro) for 10 min, once a week for four weeks (four sessions). Symptom severity scales (SSS) and functional status scales (FSS) of Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire were measured at baseline (before session one) and at the end of treatment (after session four). The relative changes in SSS and FSS scores were calculated as a clinical outcome. Results: Forty-two participants were enrolled and randomly allocated to either the intervention (n = 21) or control group (n = 21). There were no statistically significant differences in the median (interquartile range) of relative changes in SSS [0.05 (0.15) vs 0 (0.27), P = 0.41] or FSS [0 (0.25) vs 0 (0.11), P = 0.97] between the intervention and control groups. Conclusion: Active rPMS did not improve clinical outcome compared to sham rPMS among patients with mild to moderate CTS. A greater number of subjects and treatment sessions might be required for the future study.