Thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis: A musculoskeletal physiotherapy perspective

To perform a literature review to provide the practitioner with a description of the information and techniques to enhance the provision of conservative interventions in clinical practice.

Studies were obtained from MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PEDro and CENTRAL databases from their inception to December 2017. Authors independently selected studies, conducted quality assessment, and extracted results.

There is evidence to support a multimodal approach to the therapeutic management of the patient with CMC OA. This distinct approach includes: patient education, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise programs, and orthotic provision.

There is evidence to support some of the commonly performed conservative interventions to improve hand function and decrease hand pain.