ABSTRACT

Carpal tunnel syndrome and lumbar spinal stenosis are diseases that generally progress with signs of nerve compression due to ligament hypertrophy. It is known that some clinical situations can increase the incidence of these diseases. This retrospective study aims to research the correlation between carpal tunnel syndrome and lumbar spinal stenosis.

In this study, 860 patients diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and 228 patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis in the last three years in our clinic were evaluated.

Patients with a diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome were graded according to their symptoms as mild (305), moderate (422), or severe (133). A total of 134 patients (15%) showed concurrent lumbar spinal stenosis. Seven of the 305 patients with mild carpal tunnel syndrome also had lumbar spinal stenosis (2%). For the 422 patients with moderate carpal tunnel syndrome, the presence of lumbar spinal stenosis was seen in 66 patients (15%). Of the 133 patients with a severe degree of carpal tunnel syndrome, 61 (45%) also had a diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis. In the LSS group, 40 patients had mild (17%), 18 (8%) had moderate, and 8 (4%) had severe carpal tunnel syndrome.

According to the literature, the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome is less than 3% in the general population, and the incidence of LSS is less than 8% in the general population. There have been no studies on the co-incidence of lumbar spinal stenosis and carpal tunnel syndrome. In our study, the presence of one of these diseases is associated with an increased incidence of the other. In order to collect more reliable data, prospective studies should be conducted on larger patient groups planned under standard conditions.