Pre-operative grip force as clinical predictor for weakness after transversal carpal ligament release

Temporary or long-lasting loss of grip force after open carpal tunnel release (CTR) in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients is well known and caused by changes in biomechanical conditions through sectioning of the transverse carpal ligament. We hypothesize to find predicting factors for loss of grip strength. We performed dynamometer testing of overall hand grip, tip pinch, and key pinch grip prior, 3 and 6 months after open CTR in 42 CTS subjects. Changes in these three main variables related to pre-operative grip, tip pinch and key pinch forces as well as gender and age were analyzed for significant results (t test, Pearson and Spearman correlations, descriptive statistics; 2-tailed p = .05). At 3-month post-CTR, overall hand grip force decreased significantly by 11.7% (p = .006), whereas key pinch and tip pinch only decreased by 5.6 and 3.5% (p