Patient-reported symptom-mapping in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Abstract

To date, no method has been described or utilized to study the distribution of symptoms in carpal tunnel syndrome. We describe a technique of symptom-mapping that yields a population-based "anatomic profile" of carpal tunnel syndrome. Symptoms were mapped on visual questionnaires depicting the volar hand, wrist, and forearm. Thirty-four hands in 26 patients with isolated carpal tunnel syndrome were included in the study. Painful symptoms were clearly centered over the carpal tunnel and were reported much less frequently in the digits. Nonpainful sensory disturbances (e.g., numbness, paresthesias) were found to have a much more peripheral and lateral distribution. Our technique serves to establish a population-based "anatomic profile" of carpal tunnel syndrome, assisting with clinical diagnosis and serving as a reference point for the comparison of pretreatment and posttreatment clinical data. Muscle Nerve 59:321-325, 2019.