Comparison of Custom-made Versus Prefabricated Thumb Splinting for Carpometacarpal Arthrosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Filed under Reviews, Uncategorized
Baradaran, A., Baradaran, A., Ebrahimzadeh, M. H., Kachooei, A. R., Rivlin, M., & Beredjiklian, P. (2018). Comparison of Custom-made Versus Prefabricated Splint for Carpometacarpal Arthrosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. The archives of bone and joint surgery, 6(6), 478–485.
Article Review By: Dalton Busch
The Skinny – A systematic review and meta-analysis were composed to compare the effectiveness of prefabricated orthoses versus a custom-made thermoplastic splint. The splints were created to manage carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis (OA). A total of five randomized clinical trials with a total of 230 patients were analyzed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
In the weeds – Within the five randomized controlled trials, the researchers analyzed patients’ disability scores, pain scores, grip, and pinch strength, and integrated the data properly. All of the trials assessed were comparing results of the CMC OA orthoses as a non-surgical alternative. The primary outcome measure included was the Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH). Secondary measures that were extracted by the researchers included pain ratings, grip strength, and pinch strength. Further, the researchers looked into overall demographics, sample size, study design, and the type of splint utilized on the affected thumb.
Bringing it home – Overall findings from the systematic review pointed towards a statistical difference in the overall disability scores of patients who wore the prefabricated versus the custom, showing preference to the prefabricated. The secondary data relating to pain and grip/pinch strength both showed overall improvement wearing either the prefabricated or custom-made orthotic.
Rating (0-5) – 4: This systematic review and meta-analysis were done across five clinical trials with a large sample size of 230 patients. The review shows the effectiveness of both custom and prefabricated orthoses but shows lessened disability scores for prefabricated. The mean follow-up testing was 8.1 weeks which is a short-term retest as CMC OA orthoses could become a lifelong solution for patients who fall within this category. Improved research may look into long-term follow-up for more accurate data.
1 Comment
Leave a Comment
More To Read
5+ Common Mallet Finger Splints
Finger orthoses can be tough, and the mallet orthosis is no exception in hand therapy. The protocol for 15 degrees of DIP extension with mallet fingers is tricky to manage while making a common mallet finger splint. Small splints on little fingers are also tricky to get sized just right and with strapping in the…
The Identification of Mobile Applications for Distal Radius Fractures Rehab.
By Taylor Landholm Chen, Y., Yu, Y., Lin, X., Han, Z., Feng, Z., Hua, X., Chen, D., Xu, X., Zhang, Y., & Wang, G. (2020). Intelligent Rehabilitation Assistance Tools for Distal Radius Fracture: A Systematic Review Based on Literatures and Mobile Application Stores. Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine, 2020, 7613569. https://doi-org.methodistlibrary.idm.oclc.org/10.1155/2020/7613569 The Skinny The…
How much pain should a patient have during and after therapy?
How much pain should a patient have during and after therapy? As we all know pain is somewhat subjective. It can be hard to determine how much pain a patient should experience with the type of injury as well as the type of therapy intervention and hand pain treatment. The saying of “no pain, no…
Which orthosis design is better for zone 5-6 extensor tendon injuries, a relative motion orthosis compared to a dynamic extension orthosis?
M. Buhler, ˝ D. Gwynne-Jones, M. Chin et al., (2023) Are the outcomes of relative motion extension orthoses noninferior and cost-effective compared with dynamic extension orthoses for management of zones V-VI finger extensor tendon repairs: A randomizedcontrolledtrialJournalofHandTherapy. The Skinny: The aim of this study was to compare the data for two different types of orthoses…
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.
This doesn’t surprise me as I think there is a high variability between therapist custom splint designs which may outweigh the potential benefit of having the splint custom fabricated.