Liquid treatment could help relieve carpal tunnel pain, researchers find

BOSTON - Millions of Americans suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome but a new procedure could help relieve the pain.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when a nerve in the wrist becomes trapped, causing pain in the wrist and difficulty using the hand.

Current treatments involve wearing wrist splints, and steroid injections, and some patients require surgery. 

But researchers in India say a technique called hydrodissection may help. Using ultrasound guidance, a provider injects a liquid into the nerve in the wrist to separate it from the surrounding tissue. 

In a study of 63 participants, they found that hydrodissection with simple saline or salt water provided longer-lasting pain relief than a traditional steroid injection. 

This was a small study so the technique will need to be tested on many more patients before it becomes widely available.