Peer Reviews

Hand exercise is recommended for hand osteoarthritis (OA) management, but few efficacy studies have been published. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of two years of whole body strength training and gripper exercise on hand strength, pain, and function in adults with radiographic evidence of hand OA. Older adults (N=55; 71.5+/-6.5 years; 80% female) participated in a two-year, three times per week strength training regimen.

Objective: To quantify the association between radiographic foot osteoarthritis (OA) and radiographic OA at four joints: second distal interphalangeal (DIP), third proximal interphalangeal (PIP), first carpometacarpal (CMC), and the knee.

Objective: To evaluate the association between cigarette smoking and the subsequent development of osteoarthritis (OA) at four separate sites: knee, hand, foot and cervical spine.

Academic Rheumatology, University of Nottingham, UK.
Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, University of Leicester and National Institute for Health Research, UK.

Objective: To evaluate the association between weather (barometric pressure, precipitation and temperature) and pain among individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) (n=154) at the following sites: neck, hand, shoulder, knee and foot.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, conservatively affects 27 million American adults. While nearly all joints can be affected, knee osteoarthritis is of particular interest as it has the potential to severely limit mobility. Despite its ubiquity, not everyone is affected. Few studies on the characteristics of these persons exist

Purpose: To quantify the prevalence of radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA) among a group of community-dwelling individuals. Joint-specific prevalence rates/100 of radiographic OA of the hand were quantified and reported by age, gender, and dominant hand.

Objective: To evaluate the association between acute joint injury to the knee and knee osteoarthritis (OA).
Design: Prospective cohort. Sample size = 1,436. Men and women aged 40 years and older participating in the population-based Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study (1988-current) with biennial physical exams including serial radiographs. Radiologically confirmed knee OA = 27%; self-reported knee injury = 11%. Lawrence and Kellgren ordinal scale was used to determine radiological evidence of the study outcome, knee OA. Self-reported history of knee injury was used to determine the study exposure.

The value of exercise for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) receives continuing consideration. The optimal length of study follow-up time remains unclear. A group of individuals with knee OA participating in an exercise intervention was followed for 2 years. The authors quantified the change in knee-pain scores during Months 1-12 and during Months 13-24. Eleven individuals with radiographic knee OA and knee-pain scores of 2+ were evaluated. Pain scores were collected weekly from participants who exercised three times a week.

Study design: Randomized Clinical Trial.
Introduction: Hand exercises have been recommended as treatment for hand osteoarthritis (OA) but research evidence is sparse.
Purpose of the study: To investigate effects of daily 16-week home-based hand exercise among persons with hand OA.