A Narrative Review of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Using China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical studies between 2015 and 2020 on the traditional Chinese medicine treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database. Methods We searched clinical studies on the Chinese medicine treatment published in traditional Chinese medical journals on CTS through the CNKI search. Fifteen published studies between 2015 and 2020 were chosen and examined for the year of publication, sample size, study design type, diagnosis and evaluation of diverse criteria, treatment period, purpose of the study, and classification based on the treatment technique. Results Out of 73 studies, 15 had practiced various Chinese medical treatments, such as acupuncture, moxibustion, manipulation, herbal medicine application therapy, and external herbal treatment. Conclusions Various studies have investigated the Chinese medicine treatment for CTS in China. To envelope the treatment of CTS in Korean medicine, steady and valuable therapies for high-level clinical research are required. In the future, this study could be helpful in the development of the treatment of CTS with Korean medicine.

Effect of Manual Acupuncture for Mild-to-Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review

“…Korean traditional medical treatments for CTS typically include acupuncture, although studies have contradictorily demonstrated the superior and inferior efficacy of acupuncture to placebo or sham acupuncture [ 11 ]. Korean studies of acupuncture for CTS include a randomized control trial (RCT) that compared the effectiveness of Sweet Bee Venom pharmacopuncture to that of Scolopendrid pharmacopuncture, case reports of pharmacopuncture (CA; Scolopendrid , Carthmi-Flos , and Sweet Bee Venom, along with Jungsongouhyul and Hwangryunhaedok-tang pharmacopunctures) and acupotomy, and papers on acupuncture-based treatment [ 12 , 13 ]. Systematic reviews (SR) of Korean medical treatments, including acupuncture, for CTS were conducted [ 11 , 14 - 17 ].…”