5 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The investigators are doing this research study to discover factors, such as job, hobbies, or race that are associated with arthrosis at the base of your thumb on X-rays. Thumb arthrosis is one of the most common kinds of arthritis. About 116 people will take part in this research study at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
The specific aim is to compare the effectiveness of Off-the-Shelf splints and splints provided by Occupational Therapy for treatment of trapeziometacarpal (TMC) arthrosis.
The investigators plan a prospective randomized controlled study that compares the treatment decisions made by patients who receive decision aids, as compared to patients treated with usual care and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand brochures. The investigators expect to enroll 126 patients.
This study examines carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA) and aims to elucidate the biomechanical, neuromuscular, and somatosensory mechanisms that contribute to CMC OA symptoms by using orthopaedic biomechanics and quantitative pain testing. Completion of this study will provide a comprehensive dataset describing how movement strategies (muscle activity and joint posture) as well as experimental and clinical pain differ between individuals with CMC OA and age-matched controls.
Basal arthritis of the thumb is a common condition with increased prevalence in post-menopausal women, obese persons, and the elderly. Surgical options are varied and efficacious, but not all patients are candidates for surgery. The successes and pitfalls of previous, similar trials are carefully considered in the creation of our own. Though steroid injection is the standard of care in basal joint arthritis, current data does not support its efficacy beyond placebo effect. No trial has yet examined the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injection into the basal thumb joint nor compared it to steroid. Since efficacy of steroid is questionable at best, our hope is that BTX-A injection of the basal joint might be the next great tool in treating this common, debilitating disease.