Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
Metacarpal Small Incision for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Published on: April 5, 2024
Risk factors for operated carpal tunnel syndrome: a multicenter population-based case-control study
Stefano Mattioli1, Alberto Baldasseroni, Massimo Bovenzi
1Occupational Health Service, ASL di Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy. s.mattioli@unibo.it
Background:
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a socially and economically relevant disease caused by compression or entrapment of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. This population-based case-control study aims to investigate occupational/non-occupational risk factors for surgically treated CTS.
Methods:
Cases (n = 220) aged 18-65 years were randomly drawn from 13 administrative databases of citizens who were surgically treated with carpal tunnel release during 2001. Controls (n = 356) were randomly sampled from National Health Service registry records and were frequency matched by age-gender-specific CTS hospitalization rates.
Results:
At multivariate analysis, risk factors were blue-collar/housewife status, BMI > or = 30 kg/m2, sibling history of CTS and coexistence of trigger finger. Being relatively tall (cut-offs based on tertiles: women > or =165 cm; men > or =175 cm) was associated with lower risk. Blue-collar work was a moderate/strong risk factor in both sexes. Raised risks were apparent for combinations of biomechanical risk factors that included frequent repetitivity and sustained force.
Conclusion:
This study strongly underlines the relevance of biomechanical exposures in both non-industrial and industrial work as risk factors for surgically treated CTS.
