Highlights
- •Prescription of exercise relative motion orthoses is common practice with limited evidence.
- •Exercise relative motion orthosis (RM) orthosis were implemented for 6 weeks to improve limited proximal interphalangeal joint motion.
- •Active and passive proximal interphalangeal joint movement improved, agreeing with unpublished results.
- •Patient comments were mostly positive about exercise RM orthosis wear.
- •Orthotic wear instruction for exercise RM orthoses differs from protective RM orthoses.
Abstract
Study Design
Prospective, multicenter, consecutive case series
Introduction
There are 3 categories of relative motion orthoses; protective, exercise and adaptive,
with only 2 unpublished studies that prescribed for exercise. These orthoses are of
2 types: relative motion extension (RME) orthoses and relative motion flexion (RMF)
orthoses.
Purpose of study
To describe prescription of relative motion (RME and RMF) exercise orthoses when used
to assist recovery of proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) movement after injury
or surgery.
Methods
Therapists enrolled patients who had limited PIPJ movement after injury or surgery
and demonstrated greater passive than active isolated PIPJ movement. Relative motion
exercise orthoses and usual hand therapy treatments were implemented for 6 weeks.
Measures of PIPJ motion, pain, and patient-report of orthotic wear time and perceived
benefit were recorded at the time of orthotic intervention, at 3 weeks and at 6 weeks.
Results
Eight therapists from 4 private hand therapy clinics implemented RM exercise orthoses
in 14 patients with limited PIPJ flexion (RME orthoses) and 6 patients with limited
PIPJ extension (RMF orthoses). One participant prescribed a RMF orthosis failed to
complete the study. Isolated PIPJ active flexion improved for those prescribed RME
orthoses (n = 14/14) and isolated PIPJ active extension improved for those prescribe a RMF orthosis
(n = 2/5). Most patient-reports were positive about the relative motion experience.
Discussion
Although diagnoses and prescription times differed, the outcomes of this patient series
prescribed relative motion exercise orthoses agree with those of 2 unpublished case
series; all in support relative motion exercise orthoses to improve limited PIPJ movement.
Conclusion
Future studies implementing relative motion exercise orthoses to recover limited PIPJ
movement after injury or surgery may be worthwhile.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 14, 2022
Accepted:
September 30,
2021
Received in revised form:
September 29,
2021
Received:
April 5,
2021
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
Conflict of interest: The authors have no competing interests.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc.
