Properties and Applications of Sensory Outcome Measures in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Résumé du livre

This thesis aimed to determine the psychometric properties and applications of sensory threshold tools and outcome measures in patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). The first chapter is a psychometric study that defines clinically important difference (CID), construct validity and responsiveness of touch and vibration threshold tools and in the Symptoms Severity Scale (SSS). The study found the CID for the Pressure Specified Sensory Device (PSSD) and for the SSS was 0.15g/mm2 and 0.50 respectively. The study also found that the Vibrometer was more representative of hand function and responsive compared PSSD. The second objective of this thesis was to determine the feasibility of recruiting patients with CTS to test the effects of cell phone texting on sensory and functional outcome measures. The recruitment rate was 73% and touch threshold was most influenced by texting for patients. Further research is required on the process of clinical decision making based on sensory tool evaluations.