Peer-reviewed research
Corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome: a 5-year survivorship analysis
PJ Jenkins and AD Duckworth, Hand (N Y), 2012 · DOI 10.1007/s11552-012-9390-8
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A prospective study from a Scottish hand unit that followed people treated with a local steroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome and measured how many later needed carpal tunnel decompression, up to five years.
- How much weight it carries
- Prospective cohort from one unit with a clear survivorship method. It has no comparison group, so it shows how often injections fail, not how they compare with surgery.
Facts taken from this source
- In the same cohort, needing a second decompression was linked with being female, having diabetes and having positive nerve tests at diagnosis.
“The need for secondary CTD was independently associated with female gender, diabetes mellitus and positive nerve conduction studies at diagnosis.” (Results)
- In the Scottish cohort, the estimated rate of secondary carpal tunnel decompression after a steroid injection was 15% at one year and 33% at five years.
“Kaplan–Meier rate of secondary CTD was 15% at 1 year and 33% at 5 years.” (Results)