Clinical Research Directory

Trapeziectomy and Suture Suspensionplasty for Thumb Carpometacarpal Arthritis - Is In-Clinic Therapy Needed?

The study is a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of formal occupational therapy on outcomes following CMC arthroplasty

Early Functional Response as a Predictor of Clinical Outcomes in Hand Rehabilitation: A Prospective Feasibility Study Using a Digital Monitoring System

This study investigates whether early changes observed during the first weeks of hand and upper extremity rehabilitation can predict patient outcomes months later. In rehabilitation practice, clinicians make numerous decisions each session regarding exercise type, frequency, duration, and treatment approach. Most of these decisions are currently made without systematic longitudinal data. This study addresses three fundamental questions using data collected during routine clinical care: (1) Can the rate of improvement in the first weeks of treatment predict functional status months later, across both session-based and milestone-based time points? (2) Are there meaningfully different recovery profiles among hand rehabilitation patients? (3) Is there measurable variation in clinical decision-making among patients with similar profiles, and does this variation relate to outcomes? A digital patient monitoring platform developed by the principal investigator, a physiotherapist and academic researcher specializing in hand rehabilitation serves as the data collection infrastructure. The platform records standard clinical assessment measures in a structured format and has been in active clinical use at Hacettepe University prior to this study. For research purposes, the system has been expanded to include structured capture of patient-reported outcomes, patient global impression of change, treatment protocol coding, home exercise adherence, and automated calculation of early response metrics. This is a 12-month prospective observational cohort study enrolling a minimum of 60 patients. Data are stored securely on the university's institutional network. Patients are anonymized using identification codes. The study is subject to Hacettepe University Ethics Committee approval and participant informed consent. Findings are expected to generate evidence supporting data-driven clinical decision-making in rehabilitation and to provide a feasibility foundation for a larger multi-center study.

Ultrasonication-mediated Microbubbles Dressing for Hand Arthritis

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if ultrasonication-mediated microbubbles dressing works to treat hand arthritis in adults. It will also learn about the safety of ultrasonication-mediated microbubbles dressing. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does ultrasonication-mediated microbubbles dressing increase the therapeutic efficacy of piroxicam gel for hand arthritis? Researchers will compare "ultrasonication-mediated microbubbles dressing + piroxicam gel " to "ultrasonication + piroxicam gel" and "piroxicam gel alone" to see if ultrasonication-mediated microbubbles dressing works to treat hand arthritis. Participants will: Take "ultrasonication-mediated microbubbles dressing (day 1,3,5) + piroxicam gel (day 2,4,6,7) ", "ultrasonication (day 1,3,5) + piroxicam gel (day 2.4.6.7)", and "piroxicam gel alone (day 1-7)" for 1 week. Visit the clinic on day 1 and day 8 for checkups and tests Keep a diary of their symptoms

Effectiveness of Digital Rehabilitation (SIMPLI.REHAB) in Hand Arthritis

This study investigates the effectiveness of SIMPLI.REHAB, a digital tool employed as an interface for administering occupational rehabilitation programs to patients diagnosed with Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis. Both of these conditions are inflammatory joint disorders capable of causing significant morphofunctional alterations in the hands, especially in their advanced stages. The introduction of digital technology emerges as a complementary tool when implementing rehabilitation programs. Utilizing a prospective, longitudinal, single-blinded experimental study, 35 patients will be allocated into two groups: one receiving a complementary digital intervention through SIMPLI.REHAB and the other through a conventional rehabilitation program. Each group consists of six patients and the program spans seven weeks, focusing on therapeutic exercises, training in manual dexterity, and motor coordination, among other interventions, led by a Physiatrist. The study intends to measure outcomes based on functionality scores, pain, disease activity, joint range, grip, pinch strength, and manual dexterity, both before and after each intervention, in order to ascertain the efficacy of integrating dynamic content through the digital tool SIMPLI.REHAB, as a supplementary resource in occupational rehabilitation programs. The potential limitations of the study include potential losses of follow-up and difficulties in assessing adherence to the digital tool precisely. Nonetheless, the digital tool aims to augment functional gains in rehabilitation programs by providing patients with accessible dynamic content of home-based strategies.