Comparative Analysis of Clinical Outcomes of Triamcinolone and Dextrose Injection Therapy in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) occurs due to compression of the median nerve at the wrist, causing pain, numbness, and paresthesia.

Objective: This study aims to compare the clinical outcomes between dextrose 5% hydrodissection injection and Triamcinolone 10 mg injection in patients with CTS to change the pain scale

Methods: A quasi-experimental research design, with a two-group pretest-posttest design. This study involved 36 CTS patients who were divided equally into two intervention groups: hydrodissection using dextrose 5% and triamcinolone 10 mg injection, each consisting of 18 patients.  Prior to the intervention, each subject was assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ). The NPRS and BCTQ were re-evaluated 30 days after the intervention. The study analysis used the Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney tests.

Results: Overall, both dextrose 5% and triamcinolone 10mg can decrease NPRS and increase BCTQ. However, dextrose 5% is superior in increasing BCTQ compared to triamcinolone 10mg and is statistically significant (ΔSSS: -1.37 (-2.09- -0.91) vs. -1.05 (-2.99 - -0.55), p=0.006; ΔFSS: -1.37 (-2.50 - -0.28) vs. -0.92 (-1.88- -0.50), p=0.023). The decrease in NPRS was not significantly different between the 5% dextrose and 10mg triamcinolone groups (ΔNPS: -3.00 (-4.00- -2.00) vs. -3.00 (-4.00- -2.00), p=0.114).

Conclusion: Dextrose 5% showed better results in improving SSS and FSS scores.