Treatment of the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Laser

Abstract

Objecive: To test the effectiveness of low intensity laser therapy in patients with carpal tunnel
syndrome (CTS).
Methods: Patients with clinical and ENMG diagnosis of CTS never previously treated were
included and submitted to clinical evaluation and conduction studies before and after treatment.
Sensory and motor conduction studies were performed by conventional described techniques.
Low intensity laser treatment was by 660 nm wave length, average power of 30 nw, continuous
operation area of 0.06 cm2, fluence of irradiation of 10 J/cm2, exposure of 10 seconds per point,
totalling 6 points of irradiation on the carpal tunnel, from the proximal to the distal sense. Laser
was positioned at 90° to the skin, 2 sessions per week during 3 months were performed (24 sessions).
To this moment 30 hands of 18 patients were studied.
Results: Clinical data and different parameters on the conduction studies of the median nerve
showed improvement after the treatment.
Conclusion: In our opinion low intensity laser therapy is a new, not expensive and easy to apply
encouraging treatment for CTS