comparison of custom-made versus prefabricated thumb splinting for carpometacarpal arthrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: the goal of this study was to compare the two types of orthoses, prefabricated soft splints versus shortthermoplastic custom-made splints, that are the most commonly used for the management of first carpometacarpal(cmc) osteoarthritis (oa).methods: we conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review in the literature based on the preferred reportingitems for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (prisma) guidelines. we extracted the outcomes of disabilityscores, pain scores, grip and pinch strength and gathered the unified data accordingly.results: we included five randomized clinical trials with 230 patients with the mean age of 61 years and the meanfollow-up of 8.1 weeks. the results of the pooled data demonstrated only a statistically significant difference in disabilityscores among splints in favor of the prefabricated splints. the rest of the outcome measures consisting of pain, gripstrength, and pinch strength were not statistically different.conclusion: according to our systematic review and meta-analysis, both thumb-based splints improved pain andfunction in the first cmc oa in a short-term follow-up, nevertheless the efficacy of prefabricated splints in abatement ofdisability scores was significantly higher than custom-made splints. in contrast, the other outcome measures includingpain, grip and pinch strength were improved identically after wearing either of the splints.