Work-related carpal tunnel syndrome treatment: a cross-sectional study among 106 patients

The objective is to assess the influence of sociodemographic, professional and clinical variables on the choice of treatment of work-related carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). An exhaustive and trans-sectional study was conducted over a period of eight years, from 1st January 2006 to 31 December 2013 in the Department of Occupational Medicine at University Hospital of Mahdia, Tunisia. The study population was represented by patients with work-related carpal tunnel syndrome. Data collection was based on a questionnaire sheet, describing social, occupational and medical characteristics of patients. The study population was characterized by a large female dominance, representing 95.3% with an average age of 42±7.8 years. Patients medically treated represented 38.7% and 61.3% had had surgical treatment. After binary logistic regression, surgical indication of CTS was significantly correlated to diabetes (p=0.017), other musculoskeletal disorders (p=0.02), functional signs of CTS (acrocyanosis p=0.05; muscle weakness p=0.015; radiating pain p=0.01; painful discomfort of the hand, the forearm or arm p=0.027) and to the atrophy of thenar muscles (p=0.018). According to this study, the choice of therapy for occupational CTS depends only on clinical data. More detailed studies will be needed to refine these results.