Stabilization of Rheumatoid Thumb Interphalangeal Joint Boutonniere Deformity and Severe Subluxation with Splinting and Prolotherapy: A Case Report

Posted on Posted in Case Reports, Ross A. Hauser, MD, Shelby Ostergaard, Susan Santilli, OTR/L, CLT, Volume 4 : 2012

In this clinical case, a 57-year-old white female afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis received treatment for a 35-degree interphalangeal (IP) thumb joint deviation. The thumb deviation clinically described as a boutonniere (French for buttonhole) deformity was treated with a combination of Prolotherapy and splinting. She wore a custom three-point splint for six weeks and received three separate Prolotherapy treatments within that six-week period. After treatment, the deviation decreased from 35 degrees to 10 degrees, and her thumb pain decreased from 7 to 1 on a pain scale of 10 as the highest level.