Diadynamic Current and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Duzce University

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

Treatments: Procedure: Diadynamic Current; Procedure: Wrist Splint

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07356648

Decision No: 2025/69

Details and patient eligibility

About

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), first described by Paget in 1854, is the most common entrapment neuropathy. Conservative treatment approaches are prioritized in patients with mild to moderate CTS. Conservative management includes education, tendon and median nerve gliding exercises, physical therapy modalities, kinesiotaping, manual therapy techniques, injection options, and oral medical treatments. First-line treatment generally consists of education, exercise, and splinting.

Tendon and median nerve gliding exercises represent key components of conservative treatment. Splinting is recommended at all stages of CTS, with wrist splints designed to maintain a neutral position being the most commonly preferred option. The prevailing approach in the literature supports the use of splints primarily during nighttime.

Diadynamic current (DDC) is considered to have a composite analgesic mechanism, primarily explained by the gate control theory. Additional mechanisms suggest that DDC affects both sensory and motor nerves and may increase endorphin release, contributing to pain relief. A single treatment session typically does not exceed 12 minutes. Some studies indicate that the analgesic effect of DDC may be greater than that of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Although TENS is widely used in physical therapy and rehabilitation practice, DDC may represent a realistic alternative for clinical pain management.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of diadynamic current therapy on clinical symptoms in patients with CTS and to investigate its impact on electrophysiological findings of the median nerve.

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Clinically and electrophysiologically diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
• Provision of informed consent
• Age between 18 and 65 years

Exclusion criteria

• Age below 18 years or above 65 years
• Median nerve distal motor latency > 6.0 ms on nerve conduction studies (NCS)
• Thenar muscle atrophy
• History of carpal tunnel syndrome surgery
• History of steroid injection into the carpal tunnel
• History of physical therapy for CTS within the past 6 months
• Cervical radiculopathy
• Tenosynovitis in the ipsilateral upper extremity
• Other compressive neuropathy in the ipsilateral upper extremity
• Peripheral polyneuropathy
• History of trauma or fracture involving the hand, wrist, or forearm
• Pregnancy
• Presence of metabolic disease
• Inflammatory rheumatic disease
• Acute and/or chronic renal failure
• Severe cognitive impairment preventing understanding and following simple instructions
• Severe visual or hearing impairment preventing participation in treatment
• Current use of pregabalin or gabapentin
• Systemic diseases (e.g., diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, rheumatic diseases)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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80 participants in 2 patient groups

Group 1: Diadynamic Current Plus Splint

Experimental group

Description:

Diadynamic current (DDC) is a routine physical therapy modality applied in the physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic to reduce symptoms in various conditions. In individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), splinting is routinely prescribed as a first-line conservative treatment. In addition, physical therapy modalities such as DDC are applied in cases where adequate benefit is not achieved with splint therapy alone. Since splinting is provided as the initial conservative treatment in routine clinical practice, no delay or loss of treatment time occurs. Individuals receiving splint therapy are informed about DDC treatment, and those providing consent for 10 physical therapy sessions are allocated to the DDC group.

Treatment:

Procedure: Diadynamic Current

Group 2: Splint-Only Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

In individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome, splinting is routinely prescribed as a first-line conservative treatment.

Treatment:

Procedure: Wrist Splint

Procedure: Diadynamic Current