1000 Section - Comparing the topical effects of basil oil and placebo on pain, electrodiagnostic and sonography findings in mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome patients: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial study

Introduction: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is the most common peripheral nerve compression syndrome in the upper limb, with electrodiagnostic methods serving as its diagnostic standard. Considering that topical medications have been used to treat and improve many musculoskeletal disorders, the present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of basil oil versus placebo in the treatment of CTS patients.

Design:

Materials and

Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial involving 98 patients with mild to moderate CTS, divided into two groups: the intervention group (basil oil) and the control group (placebo). Treatment outcomes including the (VAS) for pain assessment, the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) for evaluating symptom severity and physical function, as well as electrodiagnostic and sonographic parameters were measured in both groups before treatment and eight weeks after treatment.

Results:

Results: The results showed that basil oil significantly reduced pain scores, symptom severity, and improved physical function eight weeks after treatment. However, for electrodiagnostic parameters such as CMAP latency and SNAP latency, no significant improvement was observed after eight weeks. Additionally, the mean cross‑sectional area of the median nerve, measured by sonography, did not show any statistically significant difference in either group eight weeks after treatment compared to baseline.

Conclusion:

Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that basil oil can be highly effective in reducing pain and improving physical function in patients with CTS. Nevertheless, it does not produce significant improvements in electrodiagnostic or sonographic criteria in these patients.