The Effect of Hand Exercise on Reducing the Symptoms in Hemodialysis Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

CONTEXT: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common peripheral neuropathies, and there is no consensus on the preferred method of treatment. AIMS: The aim of this study is to determine the effects of hand exercise performed with a ball on symptoms and to evaluate the results in hemodialysis (HD) patients with CTS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was conducted in patients with HD who were treated in dialysis centers and state hospitals in Turkey between 2011 and 2012. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 19 patients (28 hands) that were diagnosed as CTS. For exercise treatment, a hand and finger exercise ball that consists of two parts: a foam body and flexible rubber cords was used. Patients placed their fingers through each cord, squeezed it for 1 s, and then opened their fingers against the cord for 1 s. Patients repeated this exercise for 30 s to 1 min/day. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The McNemar, Friedman ANOVA, and the Wilcoxon test with a Bonferroni correction were used on SPSS 20.0 software package program. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Results showed that recovery was performed from physical examination results, grip strength, and Boston questionnaire scores. About 21.4% of patients’ electrophysiological results were negative at the end of the 1(st) month and 32.1% of them at the end of the 3(rd) month. CONCLUSION: Due to the slowed progress of CTS and detection of slight improvement in evaluation parameters, this self-applicable and practical exercise can be used as an alternative treatment of mild CTS in patients with HD.