Does Taking an Alpha-lipoic for 40 days after Carpal Tunnel Release decrease the likelihood of developing Pillar Pain?
Filed under Uncategorized
Filippo, B., Granchi, D., Roatti, G., Merlini, L., Sabattini, T., & Baldini, N. (2017). Alpha-lipoic acid after median nerve decompression at the carpal tunnel: A randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Hand Surgery, 4, 236–42.
The Skinny – A double-blind, randomized controlled study was performed. Sixty-four patients were randomly assigned into two groups after median nerve decompression. Thirty-two patients took the alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), while the other 32 received the placebo pill.
In The Weeds – The outcome measures utilized were Boston Carpal Tunnel score, 2-point discrimination, presence or absence of pillar pain, use of analgesics beyond post-op day 2, and sensory and motor conduction velocities. These measures were assessed at three months post-op.
Bringing it Home – ALA did not significantly improve nerve conduction velocity or Boston Carpal Tunnel score. Taking ALA did reduce pillar pain, and static 2-point discrimination improved in both groups.
Taking ALA for 40 days after carpal tunnel surgery can lower the incidence of Pillar Pain. The study size was relatively small, and the outcome measures of pain and two-point discrimination test are somewhat subjective measures. The ALA treatment (pillar pain treatment) was well tolerated by the study participants. A larger study is needed to confirm these findings.
More To Read
Upper extremity weight-bearing tolerance
Barlow, S.J., Scholtz, J. & Medeiros (2020). Wrist weight-bearing tolerance in healthy adults. Journal of Hand Therapy, xxx currently in press. The Skinny Wrist pain and instability are common occurrences and can occur with acute or chronic injuries. This leads to significant dysfunction, including the inability to tolerate axial loading through the upper extremity. There is…
Read More
All about kinesiology taping for upper extremity injuries and conditions!
All about kinesiology taping! Elastic is also known as k-tape, Kinesio-tape, and kinesiology taping. Elastic tape is all over the marketplace and is often seen on professional athletes. It can be found in most therapy clinics and is used to treat both orthopedic and neurological conditions. There are limited studies supporting the use of…
Read More
Early Mobilization After Volar Locking Plate Osteosynthesis of Distal Radius Fractures in Older Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
By: Rachel Reed Sørensen, T. J., Ohrt-Nissen, S., Ardensø, K. V., Laier, G. H., & Mallet, S. K. (2020). Early Mobilization After Volar Locking Plate Osteosynthesis of Distal Radial Fractures in Older Patients-A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of hand surgery, S0363-5023(20)30276-8. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsa.2020.05.009 The Skinny: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was…
Read More
Graded Motor Imagery in Hand Therapy
The 3 Stages of Graded Motor Imagery We’ve all heard of mirror box therapy, but do you know the details of how it works? There’s actually 3 stages involved that exercise the brain and take advantage of its plasticity. There is a great deal of evidence supporting these three stages and you can use them…
Read More
Sign-up to Get Updates Straight to Your Inbox!
Sign up with us and we will send you regular blog posts on everything hand therapy, notices every time we upload new videos and tutorials, along with handout, protocols, and other useful information.