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
Dorsal Wrist Pain?
Incorporating Emerging Evidence into Clinical Practice for Patients Experiencing Dorsal Wrist Pain During Weight-Bearing Activities By: Brittany Day Supporting Evidence A randomized control study recently published in the Journal of Hand Therapy found rigid carpal stabilizing taping (CST) to significantly increase passive range of motion, active range of motion, and decrease pain in patients experiencing…
Read MoreHow to use Kinesiology Taping for Shoulder Subluxation
How to us Kinesiology Tape for Shoulder Subluxation By: Tayler Roost What is shoulder subluxation? Shoulder subluxation is a dislocation of the glenohumeral joint. This can be classified as traumatic, non-traumatic, or neurological. A traumatic shoulder subluxation can be caused by contact sports or repetitive shoulder movements. A non-traumatic shoulder subluxation can be caused indirectly…
Read MoreAssessments Seen in the Hand Therapy World
By: Dalton Busch Below I have created a list of some of the common assessments that are seen in the hand therapy world. Keep in mind that this list is not inclusive of all the assessments you might come across in this setting. With each assessment, I describe what it is, who the assessment is…
Read MoreDiscovering Connections Between Trigger Finger and Dupuytren’s
Discovering Connections Between Trigger Finger and Dupuytren’s By: Tayer Roost Reference: Yang, Gehring, M., Bou Zein Eddine, S., & Hettinger, P. (2019). Association between stenosing tenosynovitis and dupuytren’s contracture in the hand. Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 7(1), e2088–e2088. https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000002088 The Skinny: This retrospective chart review discussed the possibility of a correlation between stenosing…
Read MoreSign-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.