Nonsurgical treatment is effective for carpal tunnel syndrome

In this systematic review, nonsurgical treatments of carpal tunnel syndrome using injected or oral steroids provided temporary relief. Spontaneous resolution is more common than you may think: nearly 50% of patients receiving placebos improved.

Long-term data on most treatments are lacking. In the few studies with long-term follow up, as many as 50% of patients had surgery during the first year after enrollment. (LOE=1a–)