Peer-reviewed research
Long-term trends in carpal tunnel syndrome
R Gelfman et al., Neurology, 2009 · DOI 10.1212/01.wnl.0000338533.88960.b9
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A records study of 10,069 Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents first diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome between 1981 and 2005, using the Rochester Epidemiology Project. It tracks how incidence changed over those decades and how it differed by age.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed population-based study from a well-documented medical records system, with about 80 percent of a sample confirmed by record review. It describes one US county, so the rates may not match other places, and the age-specific rates are in a table the text here does not reproduce.
Facts taken from this source
- In the Olmsted County study, older people with carpal tunnel syndrome presented with more severe disease and were more likely to have carpal tunnel surgery.
“The elderly present with more severe disease and are more likely to have carpal tunnel surgery” (Abstract, Conclusions)
- In Olmsted County, Minnesota, the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome appeared to fall in younger people in 2000 to 2005, while it rose in older people.
“the incidence of CTS in younger people appeared to decrease, while the rate in older individuals appeared to increase” (Discussion)