Article

The aim of this study was to analyze the differences in deficits in
fine motor control and pinch grip force between patients with minimal,
moderate/mild, or severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and healthy age- and hand
dominance-matched controls. DESIGN: : A case-control study was conducted. The
subtests of the Purdue Pegboard Test (one-hand and bilateral pin placements and
assemblies) and pinch grip force between the thumb and the remaining four fingers
of the hand were bilaterally evaluated in 66 women with minimal (n = 16),
moderate (n = 16), or severe (n = 34) CTS and in 20 age- and hand-matched healthy
women. The differences among the groups were analyzed using different mixed
models of analysis of variance. RESULTS: : A two-way mixed analysis of variance
revealed significant differences between groups, not depending on the presence of
unilateral or bilateral symptoms (side), for the one-hand pin placement subtest:
patients showed bilateral lower scores compared with controls (P < 0.001),
without differences among those with minimal, moderate, or severe CTS (P =
0.946). The patients also exhibited lower scores in bilateral pin placement (P <
0.001) and assembly (P < 0.001) subtests, without differences among them. The
three-way analysis of variance revealed significant differences among groups (P <
0.001) and fingers (P < 0.001), not depending on the presence of
unilateral/bilateral symptoms (P = 0.684), for pinch grip force: patients showed
bilateral lower pinch grip force in all fingers compared with healthy controls,
without differences among those with minimal, moderate, or severe CTS.
CONCLUSIONS: : The current study revealed similar bilateral deficits in fine
motor control and pinch grip force in patients with minimal, moderate, or severe
CTS, supporting that fine motor control deficits are a common feature of CTS not
associated with electrodiagnostic findings.

Langue : ANGLAIS