Conservative Therapy for OA in the Fingers: A Literature Review
Filed under Treatments
Beasley, J., Ward, L., Knipper-Fisher, K., Hughes, K., Lunsford, D., & Leiras, C. (2018). Conservative therapeutic interventions for osteoarthritic finger joints: A systematic review. Journal of Hand Therapy, 32. 153-164.
The Skinny – The article reviews the evidence on the effectiveness of conservative treatment for those who experience osteoarthritis in fingers and in their finger joints (osteoarthritis treatment hands).
In the Weeds– Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions reported in the literature review included active range of motion, gentle resistive exercises, joint protection strategies, electromagnetic therapy, paraffin wax, balneotherapy, as well as DIP orthoses.
The results from the review yielded that there is high quality evidence supporting the use of electromagnetic therapy combined with hand exercises to decrease pain and increase overall function. There is moderate to high evidence for the use and wear of a DIP orthosis to decrease pain in the finger joint. Finally, it was reported that there was moderate evidence to support resistive exercises to improve overall grip strength and decrease pain for individual experiencing osteoarthritis in their hands.
Bringing it home – The authors concluded there are a variety of conservative treatments that may be utilized for those experiencing pain and stiffness from hand osteoarthritis (oa hand). Interventions supported are electromagnetic therapy with thera-ex, use of a dip orthosis for painful joints and gentle resistive hand exercises. All should be performed within a pain free range.
Overall, the article is well written and easy to follow. It was difficult to analyze studies due to lack of homogeneity among the studies. The article provides evidence as to what conservative intervention are supported in the literature as well as insight into additional options for therapists.
More To Read
What? I just received an order for suture removal…
How many of us have practiced suture removal in occupational or physical therapy school?? NOT I!! Often, hand surgeons will ask the therapist to remove sutures and sometimes the order will even say “remove sutures when ready” SO NOW WHAT? How to remove continuous sutures? First, we can cover the basics of sutures! There are…
Mechanism of Interneural Edema in Carpal and Cubital Tunnel
Mechanism of Interneural Edema Over the last few weeks I have been learning about ultrasonic imaging and carpal tunnel syndrome. When reviewing carpal tunnel syndrome, I learned that intraneural edema is a common sign of compression injuries such as carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel. There are numerous causes of carpal tunnel syndrome, and every scenario…
The Role of Sensory Re-education After Nerve Injury
Priya, B. A. (2012). Effectiveness of Sensory Re-education after Nerve Repair (Median or Ulnar Nerve) at the Wrist Level. Indian Journal of Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy, 6(3), 62–68. The Skinny The human nervous system is incredibly complex and, once damaged, requires significant time to repair. A previous study (Bentzel, K 2002) identifies that with peripheral…
Soft Tissue Healing in Pediatrics
By: Chelsea Gonzalez Why do pediatric clients often not require as much hand therapy for soft tissue injuries when compared to adults? The simple answer: Kids have very elastic soft tissue, which can return to its original shape and position after stretch. This elasticity is lost with time as collagen fibers expand and their internal…
Sign-up to Get Updates Straight to Your Inbox!
Sign up with us and we will send you regular blog posts on everything hand therapy, notices every time we upload new videos and tutorials, along with handout, protocols, and other useful information.