Prevalence and Risk Factors of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome among Schoolteachers in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

CONTEXT: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common neuropathy disease as a result of constriction of the median nerve, leading to pain, numbness, and functional limitation. Although the prevalence of clinically diagnosed CTS is predicted at 3.8% in the general population, certain occupational groups, such as schoolteachers may be at elevated risk.

AIMS: To assess the prevalence and risk factors of CTS between schoolteachers in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah city, Saudi Arabia.

SETTING AND

DESIGN

An online cross-sectional survey was administered among schoolteachers in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah using a validated Arabic version of the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire-A.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

A total of 268 participants provided sociodemographic and clinical data, including symptom severity scale (SSS) and functional status scale (FSS) scores.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive statistics summarized sociodemographic and clinical data. Continuous variables were expressed as means, medians, and standard deviations. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests compared SSS and FSS scores, whereas Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests assessed categorical associations.

RESULTS

Clinically diagnosed CTS was reported by 5.2% of participants, whereas 47.3% reported CTS-related symptoms, and 32.1% experienced functional difficulties. Mild symptoms were most common (31.7%). Pregnancy and the presence of multiple comorbidities were significantly associated with higher SSS and FSS scores (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

CTS-related symptoms and functional limitations are common among schoolteachers in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, particularly in pregnant teachers or those with multiple comorbidities. These findings highlight the need for preventive strategies and awareness programs in educational settings.