Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common form of nerve entrapment in which the median nerve is compressed in the wrist. Symptoms include a reduced sensitivity in the area innervated by the median nerve, weakness, thenar atrophy, and pain. Carpal tunnel syndrome causes loss of strength and therefore influences activities of daily living as well as a psychological state of an individual. Purpose: The aim was to determine if a different carpal tunnel syndrome grade correlates with a lower strength of the abductor pollicis brevis if a lower abductor pollicis brevis strength correlates with a lower compound muscle action potential and if the strength of the abductor pollicis brevis in healthy patients is the same as in the patients with a normal compound muscle action potential and a higher latency. Methods: We included 51 patients for the nerve conduction studies of the median, ulnar, and, when the delay in the median nerve was 0.1 ms to 0.4 ms longer than the delay in ulnar nerve, radial nerve, and measured the strength of the abductor pollicis brevis. We used the results from the nerve conduction studies to grade carpal tunnel syndrome whilst latency, compound muscle action potential, abductor pollicis brevis strength and carpal tunnel syndrome grade were statistically analysed. All results in our research were used anonymously. Statistical analysis was made with SPSS. Results: Carpal tunnel syndrome grade and abductor pollicis brevis strength are negatively correlated, by increasing the grades of the carpal tunnel syndrome the strength of abductor pollicis brevis is lowering. We calculated a positive correlation between the compound muscle action potential and the abductor pollicis brevis strength, which means that a lower compound muscle action potential means a lower abductor pollicis brevis strength and vice versa. Contrary to expectations, we found statistically important differences in the strength of the abductor pollicis brevis of healthy patients and those with a normal compound muscle action potential and a higher latency. Discussion and conclusion: Measurements have confirmed that carpal tunnel syndrome indeed has an important influence on the strength of the abductor pollicis brevis.
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