Objective
To evaluate the association between neuralgic pain distribution and the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Method: Pain drawings using computerized pain chart system were collected from 131 patients (213 hands) with CTS. The presence and severity of CTS were determined by means of median motor and sensory nerve conduction studies. The severity was divided into 3 classes on the basis of electrophysiological findings: mild (93 hands), moderate (70 hands) and severe (50 hands). The similarities between pain drawing patterns and median nerve dermatome in the hands were evaluated. The pain distributions of the palmar and dorsal sides of each five fingers, palm and dorsum of hand were also evaluated.Results: There were no significant differences in similarity values of pain distribution among the groups of CTS hands divided by severity: similarity values were 0.22±0.14 in mild CTS patients, 0.24±0.16 in moderate CTS patients and 0.27±0.14 in severe CTS patients. In the CTS patients, the pain drawings showed relatively frequent distributions in the palmar side of 2nd to 4th fingers. Conclusion: There was no significant correlation between pain drawing patterns and severity of CTS. The pain drawings of patients with CTS indicate distribution to be most frequent in the palmar side of 2nd to 4th fingers. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2007; 31: 705-710)
