PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Aboonq, Moutasem S.
TI  - Al-hijamah (wet cupping therapy of prophetic medicine) as a novel alternative to surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome
AID  - 10.17712/nsj.2019.2.20180036
DP  - 2019 Apr 01
TA  - Neurosciences Journal
PG  - 137--141
VI  - 24
IP  - 2
4099  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/24/2/137.short
4100  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/24/2/137.full
SO  - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2019 Apr 01; 24
AB  - Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common neuropathy of median nerve causing decreased physical and work performance. Herein, a 37-year-old male manual worker diagnosed with severe CTS exhibited severe pain with frequent awakening from night sleep to put hands in ice. Patient’s consent and ethical guidelines were carried out. As a novel approach, Al-hijamah was performed to both hands at the anterior and posterior carpal regions (using scarification safety technique) and at the back region. Immediately after Al-hijamah, a dramatic decrease in pain, numbness and parathesia occurred. Nerve conduction velocity and electromyography carried out few days after Al-hijamah confirmed improved voluntary motor unit morphologies in both hands. The severe degree of bilateral CTS improved electrophysiologically to be moderate. Scheduled surgical intervention was cancelled. This did better than a German report treating CTS using traditional Chinese wet cupping therapy at the trapezius muscle without applying sucking cups at the carpal region.