Effects Of Local Anaesthetics (Neural Therapy) On Pain And Hand Functions In Patients With De Quervain Tenosynovitis: A Prospective Randomised Controlled Study

Abstract

Objective De Quervain tenosynovitis is the most common cause of lateral wrist pain. The diagnosis can be made with the Finkelstein test when pain is provoked with wrist ulnar deviation. Conservative treatment including rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy is applied first, then there may be a need for corticosteroid injections, and in resistant cases, surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of neural therapy (NT) on pain and hand functions in patients with De Quervain tenosynovitis. Methods A total of 36 patients admitted between May 2019 and March 2020 were randomly assigned to neural therapy (NT) and control groups. Hand rest and thumb spica splint were applied to all the patients, and NT interventions to the NT group only. A visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Duruoz Hand index (DHI) were used to measure pain and functionality at baseline, then at 1 and 12 months after the end of the treatment. Results The NT and control groups both showed improvements in VAS and DHI scores at 1 and 12 months compared with baseline (P < .001) according to within group comparisons. The VAS scores were significantly lower at both 1 and 12 months compared with baseline in the NT group (P < .001, P = .002 respectively). The DHI scores were lower in the NT group at 1 month (P = .009), and at 12 months there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = .252). No adverse effects were seen in any patient. Conclusion NT seems to be effective in reducing pain and improving hand functions in patients with De Quervain tenosynovitis.