Clinical Massage Therapy as a Treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Once participants have been recruited, their grip strength shall be tested and they will all complete baseline questionnaires to assess functional status and symptom severity. Following the recruitment stage, participants will be asked to attend Medway Maritime Hospital once a week for four weeks, to receive the massage protocol. At the first session participants shall be asked to rate their pain (NPRS), before receiving a massage treatment. This will be followed by instructions on how to perform self-massage, which they will be asked to complete daily over the four-week period, and record in a diary. At the remaining three sessions, participants shall just complete the NPRS prior to receiving the massage treatment. After four weeks the group will be reassessed at the same Orthopaedic Clinic they attended prior to recruitment. They will be asked to complete a final pain score, record any changes in their condition, repeat the initial symptom questionnaire, and finally preform a grip strength test. The duration of four weeks was chosen as this is the time-frame within which the specific massage protocol advises a \'significant symptom improvement\' should be seen.