Taking Alpha-Lipoic Acid for 40 days after Carpal Tunnel Surgery can decrease the likelihood of developing Pillar Pain.
Filed under Reviews, Treatments
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
Dart-throwing Angle in Hand Therapy for Scapholunate (SL) Ligament Injuries.
Does Object Height Affect the Dart Throwing Motion Angle During Seated Activities of Daily Living? Cohen, Y., Portnoy, S., Levanon, Y., Friedman, J. (2020). Does object height affect the dart throwers motion angle during seated activities of daily living. Journal of Motor Behavior, (52) 4. Article Review By: Rita Steffes The Skinny: Dart Throwers Motion…
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
Wrist Proprioception Ideas for Hand Therapy
Wrist Proprioception Intervention Ideas: By Ammie Ingwaldson Lack of wrist proprioception exercises can affect clients in the hand therapy setting with neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. Proprioception limitations are found in common conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, distal radius fracture, and CRPS (Valdes, Naughton & Algar, 2014). Proprioception is necessary during daily tasks to provide…
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.