The short-term efficacy of heat therapy for osteoarthritis of the hands: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Study Summary

13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), including 9 trials with 627 patients with hand osteoarthritis (HOA) in the meta-analysis, were included in this systematic review comparing heat therapy with standard care or placebo interventions. Pooled outcomes included pain measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS), Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index (AUSCAN), grip strength, pinch strength, and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Heat therapy significantly reduced pain and improved grip strength, pinch strength, and HAQ scores, although no significant improvements were observed in overall AUSCAN scores, stiffness, or hand-specific function. Multimodal heat therapy demonstrated greater benefits than heat therapy alone, while longer and more frequent treatment sessions were associated with better grip strength outcomes. These findings suggested that heat therapy, particularly multimodal approaches, was an effective adjunctive treatment for short-term symptom management in patients with HOA.