Video-assisted hand therapy equal to in-person sessions after thumb arthritis surgery

Hand therapy is often recommended after surgery for arthritis. But for many of us, travelling to clinics is difficult in terms of logistics and finances.
New research in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery suggests videos of exercises can be as helpful as in-person sessions.
A total of 58 people who had carpometacarpal arthroplasty (a common surgical procedure for people with osteoarthritis of the thumb) were split into groups. One group had video-only therapy, consisting of online videos of hand therapy exercises to be performed at home. The other group had five in-person visits with a hand therapist.
After 12 weeks, the two approaches were found to have the same level of improvement (hand function, pinch strength and grip strength). One year later, the same results were found.
Dr Peter Apel, who led the work, comments:
“This trial yields evidence that a more patient-driven approach with provision of videos is an acceptable alternative to traditional in-person therapy after thumb CMC arthroplasty and has the added benefit of reducing the potential travel burden for patients.”

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