Splinting can reduce the pain in base-of-thumb osteoarthritis

A new study has concluded that splinting could be an inexpensive and effective alternative to drug treatment for patients with base-of-thumb osteoarthritis (BTOA). According to background information supplied by the study’s researchers, the recommended treatment for BTOA include drugs and steroid injections, which can have troublesome side effects. Against that background, the researchers studied 112 patients with BTOA to determine whether wearing a hand splint could improve pain and hand function. Some 57 patients were randomly assigned to wear a custom-made night-time splint, and 55 patients were randomly assigned to usual care. {openx:269} Night-time splinting had no effect after one…