Introduction Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common median nerve neuropathy,
accounting for 90% of all neuropathies, with prevalence in the general UK adult
population ranging from 7–16% and the prevalence of bilateral symptoms reported in
more than 50% of all cases. The pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in the median
nerve compression and traction are thought to be complex. This study compared the
effectiveness of muscle energy technique and active release technique in patients with
carpal tunnel syndrome.
Methods This study involved a total of 30 male and female patients with carpal tunnel
syndrome, aged between 30 and 50 years. The patients were randomly assigned to two
equal groups, group A and group B. Group A received muscle energy technique. Group B
received active release technique.
Results Independent one-tailed t-tests revealed that the intragroup comparisons
showed statistically significant increases in pinch grip strength and motor nerve
conduction velocity of the median nerve post-treatment in group A (P=0.001 and 0.0001
respectively), while in group B, there were statistically significant increases in pinch
grip strength and motor nerve conduction velocity post-treatment (P=0.037 and 0.043
respectively). The intergroup comparisons showed statistically significant differences in
favour of group A.
Conclusions Because there was little significant difference between the two groups,
this study concluded that both treatment techniques were effective in increasing median
motor nerve conduction and hand grip strength. However, muscle energy technique
increased motor nerve conduction velocity and pinch grip muscle strength more than
active release technique.