Study questions the value of wrist splinting for carpal tunnel syndrome
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
If you have carpal tunnel syndrome - a pinched nerve in the wrist that causes numbness and tingling in the hand - initial treatment may include wearing a rigid splint. The splint keeps the wrist in a neutral position, minimizing pressure on the nerve. While this seems logical, a study published in the April 2026 issue of NEJM Evidence casts doubt on the usefulness of this treatment.
Researchers randomly assigned 142 people with carpal tunnel syndrome to use either a rigid splint or a soft bandage that permitted full wrist motion. After 12 weeks, both groups showed minimal improvement in symptoms. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant. A similar proportion of each group - 57% of those with rigid splints and 51% of those with soft bandages - had surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve within one year.
"The findings are potentially important, but it's too soon to abandon wrist splints for carpal tunnel syndrome without further research," says Dr. Robert Shmerling, senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing and former clinical chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. If a splint doesn't improve symptoms, other options include anti-inflammatory medications and corticosteroid injections, prior to considering surgery to open the tunnel.
Image: © Anastasiia Bid/Getty Images
About the Author
Lynne Christensen, Staff Writer
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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