New Treatment For Thumb Arthritis
By: Charlotte Ames
Updated: May 20, 2010
Are you losing your grip because of a painful thumb? Some statistics suggest that the incidence of osteoarthritis in the hand is second only to knee arthritis. Now doctors are trying a treatment usually aimed at the knees for arthritis in the thumb.
Researchers at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City are testing another treatment for osteoarthritis of the joint at the base of the thumb, using an injection of hyaluronan (Synvisc-OneŽ, or hylan G-F 20). Hyaluronan is a laboratory-made form of a protein produced by the body and found in the joints. The drug is currently used to reduce pain and improve function in people with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Participants in the study will be randomly assigned to one of three treatments: (1) two injections of hyaluronan, (2) one injection of a steroid and one injection of a local anesthetic, or (3) two injections of a local anesthetic.
In each group, the second injection is given one week after the first. At the end of the study, all the participants will have the option to receive an injection of hyaluronan.
A previous study done outside the U.S. showed patients who received hyaluronan injections had significant improvements in function, pain and pinch strength at 24 weeks compared to those who received saline injections. Now researchers here in the U.S. want to find out how injections of hyaluronan compare to other steroids and local anesthetics.
Investigators are still looking for participants. The study is only taking place at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
For information, go here.
Researchers at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City are testing another treatment for osteoarthritis of the joint at the base of the thumb, using an injection of hyaluronan (Synvisc-OneŽ, or hylan G-F 20). Hyaluronan is a laboratory-made form of a protein produced by the body and found in the joints. The drug is currently used to reduce pain and improve function in people with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Participants in the study will be randomly assigned to one of three treatments: (1) two injections of hyaluronan, (2) one injection of a steroid and one injection of a local anesthetic, or (3) two injections of a local anesthetic.
In each group, the second injection is given one week after the first. At the end of the study, all the participants will have the option to receive an injection of hyaluronan.
A previous study done outside the U.S. showed patients who received hyaluronan injections had significant improvements in function, pain and pinch strength at 24 weeks compared to those who received saline injections. Now researchers here in the U.S. want to find out how injections of hyaluronan compare to other steroids and local anesthetics.
Investigators are still looking for participants. The study is only taking place at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
For information, go here.
