Performance on a manual tracking task differentiates individuals at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome from those not at risk.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine whether sensorimotor abnormalities are detectable in asymptomatic individuals deemed at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) METHODS: Seventeen individuals deemed at risk of developing CTS and 16 asymptomatic individuals deemed to be at minimal risk of developing CTS participated. Nerve conduction velocity, two-point discrimination ability, pressure acuity, Purdue Pegboard Test performance and tracking error and tracking variance on a manual tracking task performed at two different speeds were measured in all participants and compared between the groups.

Results: None of the measures of nerve conduction, sensory perception, or Purdue Pegboard task performance were different between the groups. The error in the manual tracking tasks was significantly different between the groups, where the at-risk group demonstrated more error than the control group.

Conclusion: These results suggest that manual tracking tasks may be useful in the identification of those individuals at risk of developing CTS before they develop any measurable sensorimotor impairment.