Home Based Computer Gaming Hand Exercise Regimen for People With Arthritis Affecting the Hands

University of Manitoba

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 2

Conditions

Osteoarthritis of Hands

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Treatments

Other: Computer gaming hand exercise regimen

Other: Conventional hand exercise program

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

NETWORK

Identifiers

NCT01635582

H2012:182

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the study is to determine whether a novel computer gaming hand exercise regimen would improve hand function, decrease pain/ stiffness and be feasible in people with Rheumatoid arthritis or Osteoarthritis affecting the hands.

Full description

A novel computer gaming hand exercise regimen has been designed for people with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or Osteo arthritis (OA) affecting the hands. The design allows a broad range of common objects of daily life to be seamlessly transformed into 'therapeutic' input devices by instrumenting with a small motion sense mouse. Based on individual abilities and treatment needs, objects are selected to train specific fine/ gross dexterous functions. The object manipulations (therapeutic exercises) are then used to control and play any commercially available computer game, making practice challenging and engaging.

The study is of six weeks duration comparing the computer gaming and conventional hand exercises in thirty people diagnosed with RA or OA affecting the hands. The investigators hypothesize that the game based exercises will improve hand function and reduce pain/stiffness and be feasible compared to the conventional hand exercises.A mixed-effect repeated measures analysis of variance will be conducted to test pre to post treatment outcomes. This will be the first study to evaluate the therapeutic effects and feasibility of the computer gaming hand exercise regimen in people with RA or OA.

Enrollment

16 patients

Sex

All

Ages

30 to 70 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Men and women
Aged between 30-70 years
Clinical diagnosis of Rheumatoid arthritis or Osteoarthritis of hands according to American college of rheumatology criteria
Must own a home computer and have basic working knowledge of computers.
Present with scores ranging from 0-75 on self-reported hand function ability with the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire

Exclusion criteria

Severely deformed finger joints
Neurological conditions of dominant side upper limb
Trauma in wrist or hand
Upper limb surgeries in previous six months
Co-existing hand conditions in the dominant hand
Problems with vision or hearing
Recent changes in drug regimen (Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or corticosteroids <3 months)
Major diseases of heart or lungs or liver
DASH scores 0-75.