Does Restriction of the Dominant Hand Due to Injury Improve Non-Dominant Hand Function?

March 2, 2026 updated by: Sedanur Güngör, Gazi University
Hand injuries result in the restriction of use of the injured hand within a splint or a plaster during the first 6 weeks which is critical for tissue healing. When the dominant hand is injured, patients experience more difficulty in daily life due to this restriction. Patients injured on their dominant hand mostly express that they are forced to use their non-dominant hand in their activities and as a result, the function of the non-dominant hand improves. However, the non-dominant hand function has not been analyzed in patients with restricted use of the dominant hand during the tissue healing period.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Yenimahalle
      • Ankara, Yenimahalle, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Gazi University Health Science Faculty Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients referred to the Hand Rehabilitation Unit of Gazi University, Faculty of Health Sciences, for physiotherapy and rehabilitation due to hand-related pathologies, and who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be included.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals who need to use a splint for 6 weeks due to any pathology in their dominant hand
  • Ages between 18-65
  • Individuals who are within the first 10 days after the operation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals with an isolated thumb injury
  • Those who require bilateral use of the splint/have bilateral pathology
  • Those who have a condition that prevents the use of the non-dominant hand
  • Those who can use both hands equally/do not have a dominant side (ambidextrous/two-handed)
  • Those who have a cooperative status that will not comply with the treatment program
  • Data from individuals who do not use the splint as described during the 6-week follow-up period will not be included in the analysis.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
patient with orthosis/cast
Patients referred to the Hand Rehabilitation Unit of Gazi University, Faculty of Health Sciences, for physiotherapy and rehabilitation due to hand-related pathologies, and who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria, will be informed about the study. No treatment other than routine care will be administered. Only two evaluations will be conducted: one at the first session and the other at the end of the 6th week.
Other: Restriction of the Dominant Hand Due to Splint Use
This study aimed to assess whether the non-dominant hand function changes in patients using splints or casts on their dominant hand during the tissue healing period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
hand function
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Hand function will be assessed using the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT), a valid tool for evaluating impairment and disability. The test includes tasks involving common grip types in daily life, aiming to measure the speed of task performance. Standardized materials, easily available in clinics, are used. The test has seven tasks: writing a 24-letter text, turning cards, collecting small objects, eating, stacking checkers, collecting light wide objects, and collecting heavy wide objects. A 1-minute rest is given between tasks, and completion time is recorded in seconds. Before evaluation, examples will be provided, and individuals will perform a trial run of each task. In our study, only the unaffected, non-dominant hand will be assessed, starting with a single real assessment after the trial.
6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
disability level
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Questionnaire will be measured. This questionnaire is used to assess upper extremity disorders and includes 30 items covering pain, stiffness, weakness, daily activities, and functionality. Patients consider their condition over the past week, with total scores ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate worse functional status.
6 weeks
Grip and pinch strengths
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Gross grip strength will be measured with a hydraulic hand dynamometer (Jamar®) and fine grip strength with a pinchmeter. Participants will sit in a chair with back support, following the standard position: arm at the side, elbow at 90° flexion, and wrist neutral. Fine grip strength will be assessed in double (bipod) pinch, triple (tripod) pinch, and lateral grip positions. The forearm will be fully pronated for double and triple pinches, and midpronated for gross grip and lateral grips. Only the healthy non-dominant hand will be assessed. Measurements will be repeated three times, and participants will squeeze as hard as possible. The average of the three trials will be recorded in kilograms.
6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Gazi University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 6, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 13, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 14, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 20, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2024-390

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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