Does idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome deteriorate proprioception of the hand? A case-control study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the deterioration in kinesthetic kinesthesia (KKS) and visual kinesthesia (VKS) of the hand as a component of proprioception in patients with idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Patients and methods: This study included a total of 90 hands of 60 patients (9 males, 51 females; mean age: 47.6±9.4 years; range, 28 to 60 years) who were diagnosed with CTS and 25 hands of 25 healthy individuals (8 males, 17 females; mean age: 42.6±14.4 years; range, 20 to 60 years) as the controls between January 2019 and January 2021. The KKS and VKS scores were compared between the groups. Clinical parameters such as pain levels, hand grip strength (HGS) values, and two-point discrimination (2PD) test scores were compared between the patients with and without KKS or VKS deficits. The association between the severity of electromyographic findings and KKS or VKS deficits was examined.

Results: The mean VKS score of the CTS group was 22.9±1.6 and the KKS score was 20.8±3.4, which was significantly lower than that of the control group (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). The CTS patients performed less accurate repetitions in visually cued (60%) and kinesthetically cued (40%) positions than the control group (100% both). There were significantly more patients with VKS and KKS deficits in the moderate or severe CTS groups than in the mild CTS group (p<0.001 and p=0.007, respectively), and KKS or VKS deficits were significantly associated with the impaired HGS (p=0.042 and p=0.048, respectively) and functional status (p=0.020 and p=0.016, respectively) accompanied by the increased symptom severity (p=0.010 and p=0.002, respectively).

Conclusion: Our study results suggest that idiopathic CTS is associated with impaired proprioception and kinesthetic sense of the hand. In addition, idiopathic CTS is related to impaired hand function and severe symptoms. Screening kinesthetic sense in patients with idiopathic CTS prior to decompression surgery or postoperative hand therapy is helpful to set realistic goals and achieve superior clinical outcomes.

Citation: Yeşil M, Köseoğlu Toksoy C. Does idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome deteriorate proprioception of the hand? A case-control study. Jt Dis Relat Surg 2023;34(1):215-223. doi: 10.52312/jdrs.2023.950

The study protocol was approved by the Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University Clinical Research Ethics Committee (date: 07.09.2018, no: 2018\197). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

A written informed consent was obtained from each patient.

Data Sharing Statement:
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Provided input into the concept and design of the study, and provided the materials: M.Y., C.K.T.; Collected and assembled the data: M.Y., C.K.T.; Analyzed the data: M.Y., C.K.Y.; Carried out literature review: M.Y.; Wrote the article: M.Y..; All authors have critically revised the article, read and approved the final version at the time of submission.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.