TABLE 10.

Summary of a study evaluating carpal tunnel decompression for chronic whiplash-associated disorder

Reference, year, country, score	Population and methods	Outcome measures	Results
Alpar et al (36), 2002, United Kingdom, no score	Cohort study. 38 patients with chronic neck, shoulder and arm pain attributed to whiplash injury and refractive to physiotherapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and collar use for 1–3 weeks underwent surgical decompression of the carpal tunnel. 30 patients with similar signs and symptoms served as controls	Pain intensity (visual analogue scale) was assessed initially and at a mean follow-up of 18 months (range 12–24 months)	Neck and shoulder pain resolved in 36 patients (95%) who underwent surgery, but resolved in only 2 (7%) of the controls. Significance levels were not reported