Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Therapy in Thumb CMC Arthritis

Stanford University

Status

Completed

Conditions

Thumb Osteoarthritis

Treatments

Device: PEMF device

Device: Sham PEMF device

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT05315297

64143

Details and patient eligibility

About

Long-Term Objective: Determine if high-frequency PEMF therapy reduces pain in patients with thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis (OA).

Study Design and Methods: This will be a randomized controlled pilot study with 60 subjects with CMC OA randomly divided in two groups. Thirty subjects will receive high-frequency PEMF therapy overlying the CMC joint overnight daily for four weeks. The other 30 subjects will receive a sham PEMF therapy device applied to the same joint overnight daily for four weeks. Pain and function questionnaires will be obtained for all patients at enrollment, four weeks, and six weeks.

Enrollment

64 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

an existing diagnosis of CMC OA by a hand specialist based on clinically (tenderness to palpation at the CMC joint and/or positive CMC grind test) and/or radiographically identified CMC OA
reported pain intensity during activities of daily living less than 7 on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)

Exclusion criteria

pregnant
unable to consent
with current infection in hand or upper extremity
have had prior fracture, significant hand injury, tenosynovitis, complex regional pain syndrome, and/or Dupuytren's disease affecting the thumb
history of surgical or procedural intervention for CMC OA in the hand of study interest
do not speak English
have hand or wrist implants
have heart or brain implants