Knowledge of Evaluation and Rehabilitation of carpal tunnel syndrome among physical therapists in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Among the most prevalent entrapment neuropathies influencing the upper extremity, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) severely restricts daily activities. To our knowledge, no prior study has looked at how physical therapists in Saudi Arabica currently assess and treat individuals who have CTS. Therefore, the current research was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and practice of treatment of CTS among physical therapists in Saudi Arabica.
Method: This cross-sectional study utilized an online survey. Physical therapists (PTs) were contacted through social media channels like Twitter, Telegram, and WhatsApp. The questionnaire was distributed privately via direct messages to individual PTs. Descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages were employed in presenting the participants demographic as well as clinical practice related knowledge.
Results: 415 Physical therapists in Saudi Arabia took-part in this study. 216 (52%) of subjects were males and 199 (48%) were females. 51.3% subjects were less than 29 years, 55.7% had 1-5 years of experience, 74.2% had B.Sc. and 57.3% worked in hospitals. The majority of participants had a good understanding of CTS, including its causes, symptoms, neurological features, main risk factors, diagnostic procedures, and treatment options. The study showed strong confidence (n = 369; 89%) of the respondents to treat CTS patients effectively. Education, manual therapy, myofascial release, as well as therapeutic exercise have been identified as treatment options for CTS by 64.8% of responders
Conclusions: Most participants demonstrated a strong understanding of CTS evaluation and treatment through consistently selecting accurate responses in scenarios and questions related to CTS.