Exercise-based interventions are a common management strategy in patients with thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis (CMCJ OA); however, their exact effect on or the use of an optimal training programme for reducing pain and disability remains unclear. Our purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions compared with other conservative interventions in patients with CMCJ OA. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Fourteen randomised clinical trials with 1280 patients were finally included. Exercise-based interventions present statistically and clinically better outcomes in reducing pain intensity (mean difference (MD) -21.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) -36.59 to -7.24; p = 0.003) and wrist disability (MD -8.1, 95% CI -4.6 to -11.5; p = 0.02) compared with no treatment at short-term follow-up. Proprioceptive exercises have statistically and clinically better outcomes compared with standard care only in pain intensity at very short-term (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.76; 95% CI -1.30 to -0.21; p = 0.007) and short-term (SMD -0.93; 95% CI -1.86 to -0.01; p = 0.049) follow-up and statistically better results in wrist disability at very short-term (SMD -0.94; 95% CI -1.68 to -0.21; p = 0.01) follow-up. No differences were found between the comparators at mid- and long-term follow-up. Low to moderate certainty of evidence suggests that exercise-based interventions can provide clinically better outcomes compared with no treatment in patients with thumb CMCJ OA, at least in the short term.

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