Oxford scientists probe why nerve exercises ease carpal tunnel pain

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria Patients: 1. Patients who have a diagnosis of mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome based on a clinical assessment and confirmed with nerve conduction studies. 2. Male or Female, aged 18 years or above. 3. Patient is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study. Healthy participants: 1. Male or female aged 18 years or above. 2. Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study. 3. No history of hand or arm symptoms 4. No history of neck pain in the past 3 months 5. No systemic medical condition 6. No strong anticoagulant medication or altered coagulation (e.g., hemophilia) preventing skin biopsies 7. Severe anxiety or depression 8. Participants are required to be age- \& sex-matched to patient participants 9. No contraindications for magnetic resonance scanning at 3T 10. Sufficient command of the English language Exclusion Criteria Patients: 1. Patients who already had surgery for their carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) or are planning to undergo surgery in the next 6 weeks (patients with unilateral surgery who have unoperated CTS on the other hand are eligible to participate) 2. Patients who had a steroid injection for their CTS in the 6 months prior to the study enrolment or who had already more than 1 steroid injection into the study wrist. 3. Patients who have a diagnosis of severe carpal tunnel syndrome based on a clinical assessment and confirmed with electrodiagnostic testing 4. Electrodiagnostic testing revealing abnormalities other than CTS 5. Any other upper limb or neck problem for which they have sought treatment in the past 3 months 6. History of significant trauma to the upper limb or neck 7. Diabetes 8. Hypothyroidism 9. Severe anxiety or depression 10. Patient who is pregnant, lactating, or planning pregnancy during the study. 11. Patients on strong anticoagulant medication or altered coagulation preventing skin biopsies. 12. Contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging (assessed with MRI safety screening questionnaire). 13. Contraindications for steroid injections 14. Insufficient command of the English language