Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the 6-item Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms Scale

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common condition that affects the median nerve that usually cause numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the hand and fingers. While definitive diagnosis is made with nerve conduction studies, the patient's history and physical examination findings lead the clinician to the diagnosis of CTS. Using factor analysis and item response theory methodology, Atroshi et al. developed a short 6-item version of the symptom severity scale to ease respondent burden while maintaining the psychometric properties of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire. It has been demonstrated that the 6-item CTS Symptom Scale has good reliability, validity and responsiveness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the Turkish version of the 6-item CTS symptoms scale for CTS.