Effectiveness of proprioception training in functional recovery of thumb osteoarthritis. Single, multicenter, non-blind randomized clinical trial

Leire Cruz-Gambero; Alejandra Lucía Tuljak; Santiago Garcia Orza; Jorge H Villafañe; Raquel Cantero-Téllez

doi:10.1016/j.reumae.2023.05.002

Effectiveness of proprioception training in functional recovery of thumb osteoarthritis. Single, multicenter, non-blind randomized clinical trial

Reumatol Clin (Engl Ed). 2023 Oct;19(8):417-422. doi: 10.1016/j.reumae.2023.05.002. Epub 2023 May 16.

Authors

Leire Cruz-Gambero¹, Alejandra Lucía Tuljak², Santiago Garcia Orza³, Jorge H Villafañe⁴, Raquel Cantero-Téllez⁵

Affiliations

¹ Unidad de Mano, Centro de Rehabilitación Tecan, Málaga, Spain; Departamento de Fisioterapia, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
² Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Clínica Universitaria Reina Fabiola, Córdoba, Argentina.
³ Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquía, Vélez, Málaga, Spain; HandresearchTeam, Instituto de investigación IBIMA, Málaga, Spain.
⁴ Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milán, Italy.
⁵ Departamento de Fisioterapia, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain; HandresearchTeam, Instituto de investigación IBIMA, Málaga, Spain. Electronic address: cantero@uma.es.

PMID: 37202242
DOI: 10.1016/j.reumae.2023.05.002

Abstract

Background and objectives: Osteoarthritis at the base of the thumb (CMC-1 OA) is a pathology that mainly affects postmenopausal women. The main symptoms including pain, decreased hand-thumb strength and fine motor capacity. Although a proprioceptive deficit has already been demonstrated in people with CMC-1 OA, there is insufficient evidence regarding the effects of proprioceptive training. The main objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of proprioceptive training in functional recovery.

Materials and methods: A total of 57 patients were included in the study, 29 in the control group and 28 in the experimental group. Both groups underwent the same basic intervention programme, but the experimental group included a proprioceptive training protocol. Variables of the study were pain (VAS), perception of occupational performance (COMP), sense position (SP) and force sensation (FS).

Results: Statistically significant improvement was observed in the experimental group in pain (p < .05) and occupational performance (p < .001) after 3 months of treatment. No statistical differences were found in sense position (SP) or sensation of force (FS).

Discussion and conclusions: The results concord with previous studies focussing on proprioception training. The incorporation of a proprioceptive exercise protocol reduces pain and significantly improves occupational performance.

Keywords: Osteoarthritis; Osteoartritis; Propiocepción; Proprioception; Pulgar; Thumb.