According to researchers, most patients with hand and wrist osteoarthritis do not see a long-term improvement in pain after using topical analgesics.
Yuchen Liu, BS, said, “Hand and wrist osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent upper extremity condition, with every one in two women and one in four men experiencing symptoms by the age of 85 years old, which strongly limits their activities of daily living. Oral analgesics were commonly prescribed to manage their symptoms; however, long-term use was associated with adverse side effects.”
Liu and other researchers sent a 26-questionnaire to 100 adults diagnosed with hand or wrist OA. VAS pain scores, and patient-reported changes in stiffness, swelling, and overall condition improvement, were measured.
Fifty-one (63.75 percent) out of eighty patients who completed the survey said they used topical analgesics to relieve pain. However, those who used them incurred higher pain scores (an average of 18 points higher) than those who did not use topical analgesics. Also, their VAS pain scores immediately improved by an average of 24.8 points after the analgesia was used.
Some patients who used topical analgesics (63.46 percent) described mild- to zero improvements, while 39.6 percent revealed no improvement in stiffness, and 41.8 percent reported no improvement in the swelling.
Topical analgesics can be effective in some instances, but discrepancies suggest this treatment is ineffective as a long-term therapy option for hand and wrist OA.
If you are suffering from hand and wrist pain, contact the experts at MI Hand & Wrist to learn how we can help reduce your pain today.
Michigan Hand & Wrist was founded in 2001 with the mission to provide the highest-quality care for patients seeking surgical or non-surgical hand or upper extremity relief. Our goal is to exhaust all non-operative measures before discussing or moving on to surgical interventions. We offer on-site physical therapy from therapists committed to improving your quality of life. Our individualized treatments are modern, progressive, and exceptional. Call us at 248-596-0412 for further questions.
Written by the digital marketing team at Creative Programs & Systems: https://www.cpsmi.com/