In a 2025 case-control study, 63 percent of people with carpal tunnel syndrome reported shoulder pain around the scapular spine, against 5 percent of the control group.

Checked against its source on October 16, 2026

In the source's own words

“In those with carpal tunnel syndrome, 63% reported shoulder pain, against 5% in the control group.”

Association between carpal tunnel syndrome and shoulder pain: a case-control study, Vasileios S Akrivos et al., Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), 2025, Abstract.

What it measures: The authors compared shoulder pain around the scapular spine in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome with the general population, using a case-control design. The abstract gives the two percentages but not the number of participants.
What it does not show: A case-control comparison shows an association, not how common shoulder pain is in people with carpal tunnel. Shoulder pain is not a standard symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome, and the study does not show that the wrist causes the shoulder pain.