Effectiveness of Proprioceptive Exercises Program in Patients With Carpometacarpal Joint Osteoarthritis
Effectiveness of Proprioceptive Exercises Program in Patients With Carpometacarpal Joint Osteoarthritis
Objective: To establish the effectiveness of a proprioceptive training program as a
 complementary therapy for a traditional protocol in position control, pain intensity, upper
 limb function and occupation performance for patients with thumb CMC joint OA.

 Methods: Standard conservative thumb CMC joint OA treatments were received for both the
 control (n=26) and experimental groups (n=26) for a period of 12 weeks. The experimental
 group received a proprioceptive training program during the same intervention period, which
 was conducted twice weekly (24 sessions). The severity of pain with activity was measured
 according to the visual analog scale (VAS). QuickDASH questionnaire was used to measure upper
 extremity function. Patient's occupational performance was measured with the Canadian
 Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and proprioception was assessed using Joint position
 sense (JPS) testing.
Inclusion Criteria:

 Patients were included if they satisfied the following inclusion criteria; over 18 years of
 age with a diagnosis of grade I, II or III thumb CMC joint OA in their dominant hand
 according to the Eaton Classification Stage (14), a minimum pain rating of 4/10 on the
 Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) during activities of daily living (ADLs) at the time of the
 therapy initial evaluation,and the ability to read and understand the patient information
 sheets and exercises.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 Patients were excluded from participation if they had a neurological disorder affecting the
 upper limb, had received specific treatment for hand or thumb pain in the same limb in the
 last 6 months including an intra-articular joint injection to wrist, fingers, or thumb, had
 fractures or a significant hand injury or previous surgery to the wrist or hand, or had
 hand or finger tenosynovitis and/or Dupuytren disease. We also excluded patients with
 cognitive impairments who were not able to understand the informed consent and/or exercise
 program.