RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Al-hijamah (wet cupping therapy of prophetic medicine) as a novel alternative to surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome
JF Neurosciences Journal
JO Neurosciences (Riyadh)
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 137
OP 141
DO 10.17712/nsj.2019.2.20180036
VO 24
IS 2
A1 Moutasem S. Aboonq
YR 2019
UL http://nsj.org.sa/content/24/2/137.abstract
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.