The short-term efficacy of heat therapy for osteoarthritis of the hands: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Objective: To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of heat therapy for hand osteoarthritis.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Subjects/patients: 9 RCTs (n = 627) from 13 identified studies included in meta-analysis.
Methods: Databases were searched up to 19 December 2025. Risk of bias was assessed via RoB 2.0. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and meta-regression were calculated using Stata 17.0.
Results: Heat therapy significantly reduced Visual Analog Scale (SMD = -0.60, p = 0.01), Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index - Pain Score and Health Assessment Questionnaire (p < 0.05), and improved grip strength (SMD = 0.43, p = 0.01). No significant changes were observed for other outcome indicators. Subgroup analysis showed multimodal therapy (paraffin: heat + mechanical compression; mud: heat + chemical/mechanical stimulation) outperformed monotherapy (-heated gloves: pure thermal) for pain (SMD = -0.85) and grip strength (SMD = 0.55). Additionally, meta--regression analysis found that longer single -treatment duration (p = 0.03) and higher weekly t-reatment frequency (p = 0.04) were key moderators for better grip strength recovery.
Conclusion: Heat therapy, especially multimodal approaches, effectively alleviates short-term pain and improves grip strength in hand osteoarthritis. Clinicians may ensure adequate treatment frequency and duration to optimize outcomes.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 627 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Effect of dexamethasone as an analgesic adjuvant to multimodal pain treatment after total knee arthroplasty: randomised clinical trial
- Effect of a Postoperative Multimodal Opioid-Sparing Protocol vs Standard Opioid Prescribing on Postoperative Opioid Consumption After Knee or Shoulder Arthroscopy: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- Comparison of the Post-Caesarean Analgesic Effect of Adding Dexmedetomidine to Paracetamol and Ketorolac: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- A triple-blind randomized clinical trial of different associations between dexamethasone and non-steroids anti-inflammatories for preemptive action in third molar extractions
- An open label randomized clinical trial of Indomethacin for mild and moderate hospitalised Covid-19 patients
- Oral paracetamol and/or ibuprofen for treating pain after soft tissue injuries: Single centre double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.