Abstract
In a randomized controlled trial, Adams et al. compared the effectiveness of static resting wrist splints plus occupational therapy with occupational therapy alone in 120 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Self-reported adherence with splint wear was moderate, with 24.5% of patients reporting that they had never worn the splints over the 12-month study period. Except for a small benefit of resting splints in the occurrence, but not the duration, of hand morning stiffness, there were no significant differences in structural impairment and functional hand ability outcomes between the control and splint groups. The findings of this trial are in line with the negative outcomes of earlier studies of static resting wrist splints in patients with longer disease duration. The currently available data suggest, therefore, that resting wrist splints might not be an effective routine treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Trieb K (2008) Treatment of the wrist in rheumatoid arthritis. J Hand Surg [Am] 33: 113–123
Adams J et al. (2005) Static orthoses in the prevention of hand dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis: a review of the literature. Musculoskeletal Care 3: 85–101
Egan M et al. (2003) Splints and orthosis for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD004018. 10.1002/14651858
Steultjens EMJ et al. (2002) Occupational therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD003114. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003114.pub2
Adams J et al. (2008) The clinical effectiveness of static resting splints in early rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology (Oxford) 47: 1548–1553
De Boer IG et al. (2008) The usage of functional wrist orthoses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Disabil Rehabil 30: 286–295
Veehof MM et al. (2008) Efficacy of wrist working splints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled study. Arthritis Rheum 59: 1698–1704
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vlieland, T. Are static resting wrist splints beneficial in early RA?. Nat Rev Rheumatol 5, 124–125 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncprheum1007
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncprheum1007