Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Night Orthosis in Treating Women With Symptomatic Osteoarthritis in the Interphalangeal Joint of the Dominant Hand

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of using a night orthosis for II and III or fingers of the dominant hand in women diagnosed with symptomatic osteoarthritis compared to a control group.

Methods: Through a randomized controlled clinical trial with blind assessment and follow-up of six months. Fifty-Two participants were randomized into two groups: group orthosis and control, and made a night orthosis II and or III fingers, thermoplastic will be used as a treatment for participants orthosis group. The participants underwent four evaluations at time 0, 45 days, 90 days and 180 days after its inclusion in the study. The variables studied were: the visual analog scale of pain, grip and pinch strength, questionnaires Cochin and Australian/Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index and functional Pick-up test.

Inclusion criteria

• Women aged between 40 and 80 years.
• Patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA) hand according to the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria.
• Pain symptom in proximal interphalangeal (PIP's) or distal interphalangeal (DIP's) dominant hand in II and III or fingers.
• Provide greater pain symptom of II and III or fingers between each other.
• Complains of pain symptom measured by a visual analog scale (VAS) pain between 3 to 8 cm in the II and III or fingers of the dominant hand reported to perform joint movement (activity).
• Thumb abduction with the II and III fingers without changing the pincer movement pulp-pulp.

Exclusion criteria

• Other rheumatic diseases, neurological and skeletal muscle that can affect the upper limb.
• Fibromyalgia uncontrolled.
• Pregnancy.
• Geographical inaccessibility and transport.
• Cognitive impairment that prevents the understanding of assessment tools.