Assessment of L-carnitine effectiveness on carpal tunnel syndrome

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most prevalent entrapment neuropathy. Due to the results of recent studies about the protective effects of L-carnitine on nerves, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects L-carnitine on CTS improvement in terms of patient's function, electrodiagnostic study (EDX), and median nerve sonography. Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, patients with CTS were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then, divided into two groups of placebo and L-carnitine at a dose of 500 mg twice daily for 6 weeks. They were assessed at baseline, and 4 and 6 weeks later using Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ), median nerve conduction study (EDX), and sonography. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of BCTQ scores, electrodiagnostic findings, and sonographic indexes. Although based on the results of the repeated measures test of the intervention and control groups separately, there was a statistically significant difference in some electrodiagnostic criteria and BCTQ scores. These indexes improved after the intervention. Conclusion: The effectiveness of L-carnitine on mild to moderate CTS improvement cannot be approve based on the findings of this study and more studies and systematic reviews are required in this regard.