PREVALENCE OF CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME IN PREGNANT WOMEN: A PREVALENCE STUDY

Objectives: To find out the prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in pregnant women including both primagravida and multigravida women of all three trimesters of pregnancy and to find out functional limitation in affected women with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted. Closed ended questionnaire, clinical tests and physical examination were used to collect data from 200 pregnant women by using non-probability convenience sampling technique in different hospitals of Punjab, Pakistan. Primagravida and multigravida women, 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester pregnant women were included. Fisher’s Exact Test was used for associations and Spearman correlation between wrist pain and nature of pain. The duration of study was 3 months from December 2016 to end of February 2017. Results: The result revealed that prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in pregnant women with classical sign and symptoms of wrist pain with alteration of sensation and functional limitation is 40%. Conclusion: This study concluded that prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is more common in multigravida pregnant women in third trimester of pregnancy with alteration of sensation and functional limitation occurs due to this syndrome. Key Words: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Pregnant Women, Multigravida, Third Trimester, Wrist pain, Alteration of Sensation, Functional Limitation