Effect of Myofascial Release Versus Acupressure on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Postnatal Period

NCT07086846 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 012/005373
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will be conducted to compare the effect of myofascial release and acupressure on postnatal carpal tunnel syndrome.

Conditions

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Pain intensity

  The visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to assess pain intensity before and after intervention. The VAS is usually presented as a 10-cm horizontal line on which the patient's pain intensity is represented by a point between the extremes of "no pain at all" and "worst pain imaginable."

  6 weeks

• Sensory conduction velocity

  Electromyography device (Tru Trace EMG, 2ch Head box device, manufactured by deymed Diagnostic Pvt., Ltd., Czech Republ) will be used to assess sensory conduction velocity of median nerve before and after the treatment. A pair of ring electrodes will be placed on the index finger for recording, and the sensory nerve will be stimulated antidromically. The stimulating electrodes will be placed at the wrist proximal to carpal tunnel for the distal segment stimulation and at the elbow medial to biceps tendon for the proximal segment stimulation. Conduction velocity is the speed at which the electrical signal travels along the nerve. A reduced velocity can also indicate nerve damage. Its normal range is from 44-60 ms.

  6 weeks

• Sensory distal latency

  Electromyography device (Tru Trace EMG, 2ch Head box device, manufactured by deymed Diagnostic Pvt., Ltd., Czech Republ) will be used to assess sensory distal latency of median nerve before and after the treatment. A pair of ring electrodes will be placed on the index finger for recording, and the sensory nerve will be stimulated antidromically. The stimulating electrodes will be placed at the wrist proximal to carpal tunnel for the distal segment stimulation and at the elbow medial to biceps tendon for the proximal segment stimulation. The distal motor latency is measured from the onset of the stimulating artifact to the onset of the compound muscle action potential. Its normal range is from 2.5-3.5 ms.

  6 weeks

• Median nerve amplitude

  The amplitude of the median nerve (specifically, the sensory nerve action potential, or SNAP) will be measured by electromyography (Tru Trace EMG, 2ch Head box device, manufactured by deymed Diagnostic Pvt., Ltd., Czech Republ) during nerve conduction study before and after treatment. It is measured in microvolts (µV) and reflects the number of nerve fibers conducting the electrical signal. During a nerve conduction study, a small electrical stimulus is applied to the median nerve, and the resulting electrical activity is recorded. The amplitude is then measured as the height of the waveform generated by this activity. Its normal value should be at least 6 microvolt (6 µV).

  6 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Assessment of severity of carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms

  6 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Myofascial release technique

EXPERIMENTAL

The participants will receive myofascial release, for 15 minutes, three times per week for 6 weeks (total of 18 sessions), in addition to night splint and home advice.

Other: Night splint; Other: Myofascial release technique; Other: Home advice

Acupressure

EXPERIMENTAL

The participants will receive acupressure on pericardium 6 acupoint (PC-6 point) for 3 minutes, three times per week for 6 weeks (total of 18 sessions), in addition to night splint and home advice.

Other: Night splint; Other: Acupressure; Other: Home advice

Interventions

Night splint OTHER

All participants will be treated conservatively by wrist splint in a neutral position.

Acupressure; Myofascial release technique

Myofascial release technique OTHER

The participant will receive myofascial release using M2T blade. It will be applied on the carpal tunnel over and above the wrist creases on the ventral aspect of the forearm for 15 minutes, 3 sessions weekly for 6 weeks (total of 18 sessions).

Myofascial release technique

Acupressure OTHER

It will be applied on the pericardium 6 point (PC-6) for 3 minutes, three times per week for 6 weeks (total of 18 sessions). It is located on the palm side of the wrist a couple of inches toward the body in between the two tendons (palmaris longus \& flexor carpi radialis) that run approximately down the center of the forearm.

Acupressure

Home advice OTHER

The participants will be asked to follow important advices like supporting the wrists during activity and ensuring proper posture, avoiding wrist flexion and extension, avoiding hard clutches, holding or carrying objects for a long time, catching with fingers, repetitive hand and wrist movement such as knitting or sewing, driving, activities and hobbies such as golf, tennis, table tennis.

Acupressure; Myofascial release technique

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 25 Years - 35 Years
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Postpartum women with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
• Their ages will range from 25 to 35 years old.
• Their body mass index (BMI) will range from 25 to 30 Kg/m2.
• The electrophysiological evidence of mild or moderate median nerve lesion at wrist (mild: sensory nerve conduction velocity slow on finger/wrist measurement, sensory nerve latency \>3.5 ms, normal terminal motor latency; moderate: sensory potential preserved with motor slowing, distal motor latency to abductor pollicis brevis (APB) \< 6.5 ms)
• Positive phalen's test.
• Positive tinel's test.
• Unilateral or bilateral carpal tunnel affection will be included.

You may not qualify if:

• History of brachial plexopathy or malignancy.
• Radial, ulnar neuropathy, proximal median neuropathy or polyneuropathy.
• Previous wrist surgery or steroid injection for CTS.
• History of trauma, fracture, deformity or inflammation in the wrist, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
• Coagulation abnormalities, pregnancy, fever and infections.
• Skin disease and skin cancer.
• Spots, birthmarks or tattoos over the work points.
• Pacemaker and implementable medical devices.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cairo University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Amr Kamal Abd El-Aal

Cairo, Egypt

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Interventions

Myofascial Release Therapy; Acupressure

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Median Neuropathy; Mononeuropathies; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Nerve Compression Syndromes; Cumulative Trauma Disorders; Sprains and Strains; Wounds and Injuries

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Massage; Therapy, Soft Tissue; Musculoskeletal Manipulations; Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Rehabilitation

Study Officials

• Afaf Botla, Professor

  Cairo University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Soheir El-kosery, Professor

  Cairo University

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Amr Abd El-Aal, PHD

CONTACT

01113697786; ak9779825@gmail.com

Amr Abbasy, Professor

CONTACT

0100446860; abbassy2002@hotmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 18, 2025
• First Posted: July 25, 2025
• Study Start: July 27, 2025
• Primary Completion: October 20, 2025
• Study Completion: October 30, 2025
• Last Updated: July 25, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

EG (1)