In this review: Manual Therapy Versus Surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: 4-Year Follow-Up From a Randomized Controlled Trial
PTJ, November 2020

The Message
A study from Spain asserts that manual therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome in women fares just as well as surgery after four years in terms of pain, function, and self-perceived improvement — as long as the manual therapy goes beyond localized approaches and includes soft tissue mobilizations and other techniques that take in the entire upper extremity. This type of manual therapy, focused in part on the perception of pain, should be considered a viable first-line approach to the treatment of CTS, authors conclude.