Assessment of Pain During Nerve Conduction Studies in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Toru Sasaki; Akimoto Nimura; Tomoyuki Kuroiwa; Takafumi Koyama; Atsushi Okawa; Koji Fujita

doi:10.1016/j.jhsg.2021.12.004

Assessment of Pain During Nerve Conduction Studies in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

J Hand Surg Glob Online. 2022 Jan 5;4(2):89-92. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsg.2021.12.004. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Authors

Toru Sasaki¹, Akimoto Nimura², Tomoyuki Kuroiwa¹, Takafumi Koyama¹, Atsushi Okawa¹, Koji Fujita²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedic and Spinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
² Department of Functional Joint Anatomy, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

Purpose: Patients with suspected carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) often undergo nerve conduction studies (NCSs). Although patients sometimes complain of NCS-related discomfort, including severe pain, pain evaluations during such NCSs are lacking. We aimed to measure the pain experienced by patients with CTS during NCSs.

Methods: This prospective study included 30 patients with CTS who underwent NCSs between April 2018 and March 2019. Pain because of electrical stimulation during NCSs was evaluated using a visual analog scale, and we statistically analyzed pain-related factors such as age, sex, complications, severity grading scale, the intensity of maximum stimulation, and examination time.

Results: The mean visual analog scale score for NCSs was 5.2, and the visual analog scale score increased as the intensity of maximum stimulation and examination time increased.

Conclusions: We measured the pain because of electrical stimulation experienced by patients with CTS during NCSs. Our findings indicate that medical staff must be mindful of the potential pain experienced by patients during NCSs and educate patients regarding the necessity of the examination and its procedures.

Type of study/level of evidence: Diagnostic Ⅳ.

Keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome; Nerve conduction study; Pain; Visual analog scale score.