Exercise in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis in the Hands of the Elderly‪.‬

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is the largest single cause of impairment in the elderly, with the hand being the most common site. Resistance training is beneficial to patients with knee or hip OA. However, yet to be determined are the most appropriate program characteristics and the optimum amount of resistance that should be used for patients with OA of the hands. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of strength training on OA of the hands. Nine older adults trained for six weeks to improve grip strength, pinch strength, finger range of motion, and joint pain. Compared with the non-treatment control group, grip strength and range of motion improved significantly (p .05). No significant changes in pain level or pinch strength occurred (p .05). These findings indicate that strength training exercises are beneficial to people with OA of the hands.