RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-ORTHOTICS

SUMMARY

1. Splinting of the wrist in RA will help decrease pain and inflammation (Stenger et al., 1998).

2. The major function of an orthosis used to combat early deformity in RA is to prevent MCP flexion.

3. There is no evidence that splinting will stop these deformities, but stabilizing the MCP joint accompanied with exercise may help slow the progression.

4. Wrist-hand orthoses can decrease in pain and are used mainly for strength maneuvers rather than dexterity.

5. Does not stop the progression of the disease.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].