Intermittent axial wrist traction as a conservative treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome: a case series

Four patients with clinical and electrodiagnostic evidence of carpal tunnel syndrome underwent intermittent axial wrist traction with a pneumatic device which applied a controlled traction force of forty to sixty pounds per square inch along the axis of the forearm. Traction cycled intermittently five seconds on and five seconds off. Treatment duration was five minutes. Patients in this study received between five and twelve treatment sessions over a three month period. All neurophysiological tests were performed at an independent site without knowledge of treatment plan before treatment commenced and then repeated after the last treatment three months later. Clinical tests were performed initially, after three months and after one year. Significant subjective improvement in all cases were accompanied by objective improvement and normalization of the nerve conduction studies.