Thursday, January 30, 2014

Carpal tunnel syndrome treatable with steroids


A non-surgical treatment with anabolic steroids is as good as an invasive surgery when it comes to relieving patients from discomforting symptoms of the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, according to recent observations by researchers.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a discomforting condition of the wrist, which is caused due to compression of the median nerve that runs from palm base up to the forearm. It is known to affect performing repetitive hand motions, especially golfers, tennis players, and people using computers.

Standard treatment for symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include splinting and pain relievers like ibuprofen. When those methods fail to help, many patients undergo surgery to decompress the nerve. However, another option is to receive steroid injections to relieve symptoms.

In a recent study researchers compared results between people who had been experiencing symptoms of the condition for at least three months. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either surgery or the steroid injections. Results showed no difference in outcomes between the groups over the long term, and in the short term, people who received the injections actually reported better relief of symptoms.

The involved researchers remarked that administration of steroid injections is an effective option to provide great relief from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome rather than going for invasive surgery as steroid injections reported better relief of symptoms.

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