Objective: To establish the effectiveness of a proprioceptive training program as a complementary therapy for a traditional protocol in position control, pain intensity, upper limb function and occupation performance for patients with thumb CMC joint OA.

Methods: Standard conservative thumb CMC joint OA treatments were received for both the control (n=26) and experimental groups (n=26) for a period of 12 weeks. The experimental group received a proprioceptive training program during the same intervention period, which was conducted twice weekly (24 sessions). The severity of pain with activity was measured according to the visual analog scale (VAS). QuickDASH questionnaire was used to measure upper extremity function. Patient's occupational performance was measured with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and proprioception was assessed using Joint position sense (JPS) testing.

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients were included if they satisfied the following inclusion criteria; over 18 years of age with a diagnosis of grade I, II or III thumb CMC joint OA in their dominant hand according to the Eaton Classification Stage (14), a minimum pain rating of 4/10 on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) during activities of daily living (ADLs) at the time of the therapy initial evaluation,and the ability to read and understand the patient information sheets and exercises.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients were excluded from participation if they had a neurological disorder affecting the upper limb, had received specific treatment for hand or thumb pain in the same limb in the last 6 months including an intra-articular joint injection to wrist, fingers, or thumb, had fractures or a significant hand injury or previous surgery to the wrist or hand, or had hand or finger tenosynovitis and/or Dupuytren disease. We also excluded patients with cognitive impairments who were not able to understand the informed consent and/or exercise program.