BACKGROUND: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequent entrapment 
neuropathy in humans. Nonsurgical management is still a matter of debate, and 
conservative treatments include splinting, local steroid injections, ultrasound, 
and oral steroids. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture therapy for symptomatic 
CTS may improve symptoms and aid nerve repair as well as improve sensory and 
motor functions. However, limited evidence based on comprehensive evaluation 
methods is available regarding the effects of those treatments.
OBJECTIVE: The study intended to compare the short-term effects of acupuncture 
and conventional medical treatment on CTS patients' clinical symptoms and on the 
results of their electrodiagnostic tests.
DESIGN: The research team designed a randomized controlled trial.
SETTING: The study took place at the electrodiagnostic clinic of the School of 
Persian and Complementary Medicine at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences 
(Mashhad, Iran).
PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 60 patients at the clinic with the clinical 
diagnosis of CTS.
INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. Patients in 
the control group received 100 mg of Celebrex as tablets, 2 times daily. 
Patients in the intervention group received 12 sessions of acupuncture, each for 
30 min, for 4 wk. The needle insertion points were fixed for all sessions. In 
addition, wrist braces were provided to wear at night for 1 mo in both groups.
OUTCOME MEASURES: At baseline, postintervention at the end of week 4, and at a 
3-mo follow-up at the end of week 16, participants' clinical symptoms-pain, 
numbness, tingling, weakness/clumsiness, and night awakenings-and the results of 
their electrodiagnostic studies were evaluated and compared.
RESULTS: In total, 49 patients completed the study-24 in the control group and 
25 in the intervention group. Compared with the control group, the intervention 
group's clinical symptoms-pain, numbness, tingling, and muscular weakness-based 
on the subscales of the global symptoms score questionnaire as well as the 
overall score on that questionnaire improved significantly (P < .05). Regarding 
the electrodiagnostic studies, only the distal motor latency showed a 
significantly greater decrease in the acupuncture group in comparison to 
controls (P = .001).
CONCLUSION: All clinical symptoms and the results of the electrodiagnostic tests 
improved significantly in the intervention group, and the improvements continued 
during the 3 mo postintervention. The therapeutic results of acupuncture were 
mostly similar to and in certain cases better than those of the conventional 
medical treatment. Therefore, acupuncture can be suggested as a safe and 
suitable therapeutic method in CTS.