Musculoskeletal conditions (such as joint or tendon pain) are common cause for pain and disability in middle-aged and elderly people. When people are unsatisfied with the outcomes achieved by usual care, they often receive various injection therapies or surgery to relive the symptoms. These treatments have limited evidence to support their use. This project: 1) synthesises existing evidence whether injections or surgery have positive effect on population health in common hand conditions; 2) evaluates how research methods impact the results from surgical trials and how we should measure outcomes; and 3) randomises people with thumb basal joint arthritis or Dupuytren's contracture to receive either surgery or non-operative care to study the effect of having surgery. The results will help patients and clinicians to choose best option for their condition and researchers can produce data with better utility and reliability ultimately driving more effective clinical practice.

2022

2026