['carpal tunnel syndrome', 'compression neuropathy']
['acetyl-l-carnitine', 'placebo']

        Inclusion Criteria:

          -  Patients will be recruited from the University of Alberta Hospital referred for CTS.
             Inclusion criteria will include adult patients (over age 18) with at least one of the
             following symptoms:

               1. numbness and parenthesis in the median nerve distribution;

               2. Precipitation of those symptoms by repetitive motions that are relieved by
                  rubbing and or shaking the hands;

               3. Nocturnal awakening by those sensory symptoms, or

               4. Weakness of thumb abduction and thenar atrophy.

        Exclusion Criteria:

          1. Motor unit loss in the median nerve less than 2 SD below the mean for the age as
             determined by nerve conduction studies.

          2. The presence of other neurologic conditions

          3. Previous carpal tunnel release surgery

          4. Cognitive impairment that renders the patient unable to provide informed consent;

          5. Pregnancy
      