Peer-reviewed research
Splinting for carpal tunnel syndrome
TV Karjalainen et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023 · DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD010003.pub2
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A Cochrane review, 2023 Issue 2, that pools 29 randomised trials of wrist splints in adults with carpal tunnel syndrome and grades the evidence with the GRADE method.
- How much weight it carries
- Systematic review with a large pooled sample. The trials were generally at high risk of bias, lacked blinding, and the certainty of the evidence is low, so the benefits are uncertain rather than disproved.
Facts taken from this source
- The 2023 Cochrane splinting review pooled 29 randomised trials with 1,937 adults with carpal tunnel syndrome.
“We included 29 trials randomising 1937 adults with CTS.” (Main results)
- Another study in the 2023 splinting review found that full-time splinting may not improve outcomes compared with night-time splinting.
“Another study found that full-time splinting may not improve outcomes compared to night-time splinting.” (Authors' conclusions)
- In the 2023 splinting review, people who wore a night-time splint tended to say their overall condition had improved more than people who did not wear one.
“people who used a night-time splint tended to report that overall they felt improvement compared with those that did not use a splint.” (Key results)
- One study in the 2023 splinting review found that six months of splinting may improve symptoms and function compared with six weeks.
“One study found that six months of splinting may improve symptoms and function compared with six weeks of splinting.” (Authors' conclusions)
- The 2023 splinting review says splints may cause temporary side effects such as difficulty falling asleep or transient tingling after removal, and that no trial reported serious side effects.
“Splinting may cause temporary side effects such as difficulty in falling asleep or transient tingling after removal of the splint; none of the trials reported any serious side effects.” (Authors' conclusions)
- A 2023 Cochrane review found that splinting may give little or no symptom benefit in the first three months.
“splinting may provide little or no benefits in symptoms in the short term (< 3 months)” (Main results)