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American Pain Society
4700 W Lake Ave
Glenview, IL 60025
| For immediate release Feb 15, 2011 |
Contact: Chuck Weber (847) 705-1802 |
GLENVIEW, Ill., Feb. 15, 2011 -- For relief of carpal tunnel syndrome pain, short-term acupuncture treatments may result in more significant long-term improvement than oral steroid medications, according to a new study published in The Journal of Pain, the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society.
Researchers at multiple centers in Taiwan evaluated 77 subjects with carpal tunnel syndrome. One group was treated with the steroid prednisolone for two weeks and a second group was given acupuncture treatments in eight sessions for four weeks. The intent of the study was to follow both groups for 13 months to assess comparative long-term outcomes.
The cause of most cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, according to the authors, is unknown but some factors that may contribute to its development are repetitive hand use, poor overall health and advanced age. Several different types of nerve fibers are affected by the disorder, and surgical decompression is considered the most effective treatment. However, the authors note this procedure yields favorable outcomes for only 3 of 4 cases. There are very few studies that have examined the efficacy of more conservative treatments for long-term pain relief, such as injectable and oral steroids and acupuncture.
Results of the study showed that the acupuncture-treated patients had significantly better improvement, measured by global symptom score (GSS) assessments, compared with the group treated with oral steroids, both in objective changes in nerve condition and subjective symptom assessment in long term follow-up. The authors also explained that some studies have shown that the efficacy of acupuncture could be from its anti-inflammatory action and increasing blood flow to the treated areas.
This was the first rigorous trial of long-term efficacy of acupuncture vs. proven standard drugs for treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.
For risk-reduction improvements, the authors advised that computerized prescriber order entry systems can reduce but not eliminate errors. Other safeguards that should be implemented include limiting the number of similar medications available on the formulary and reviews of drug orders by pharmacists and nurses for every prescribed analgesic.
Based in Glenview, Ill., the American Pain Society (APS) is a multidisciplinary community that brings together a diverse group of scientists, clinicians and other professionals to increase the knowledge of pain and transform public policy and clinical practice to reduce pain-related suffering. APS was founded in 1978 with 510 charter members. From the outset, the group was conceived as a multidisciplinary organization. APS has enjoyed solid growth since its early days and today has approximately 3,200 members. The Board of Directors includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, policy analysts and more.
