Thermal Glove Wrist-Hand Orthoses and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease affecting nearly 1% of the world’s population with symptoms such as inflammation, pain, and reduced strength. Physicians and scientists work to develop pharmaceuticals and medical devices aimed at decreasing the symptoms associated with RA to better the lives of those affected. One of the most recent developments is the addition of thermal therapy gloves to the array of upper limb orthoses available to patients with RA. It was hypothesized that this study will show that orthoses in the form of thermal therapy gloves are beneficial to the patients by reducing symptoms such as pain and allowing them an increased range of motion and overall hand functionality. Patients in stage 2 were recruited and asked to first complete a personal history survey including the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). Range of motion tasks and the Arthritis Hand Function Test (AHFT) were completed to determine the effect of two thermal therapy gloves on the range of motion and activities of daily living. This webcast will give an overview of the pilot study, results, and suggestions for future studies.

Brittany Mott

7/9/2019 6:00:00 PM