The short-term efficacy of heat therapy for osteoarthritis of the hands: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of heat therapy for hand osteoarthritis. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: 9 RCTs (n = 627) from 13 identified studies included in meta-analysis. METHODS: Databases were searched up to 19 December 2025. Risk of bias was assessed via RoB 2.0. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and meta-regression were calculated using Stata 17.0. RESULTS: Heat therapy significantly reduced Visual Analog Scale (SMD = -0.60, p = 0.01), Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index - Pain Score and Health Assessment Questionnaire (p < 0.05), and improved grip strength (SMD = 0.43, p = 0.01). No significant changes were observed for other outcome indicators. Subgroup analysis showed multimodal therapy (paraffin: heat + mechanical compression; mud: heat + chemical/mechanical stimulation) outperformed monotherapy (-heated gloves: pure thermal) for pain (SMD = -0.85) and grip strength (SMD = 0.55). Additionally, meta--regression analysis found that longer single -treatment duration (p = 0.03) and higher weekly t-reatment frequency (p = 0.04) were key moderators for better grip strength recovery. CONCLUSION: Heat therapy, especially multimodal approaches, effectively alleviates short-term pain and improves grip strength in hand osteoarthritis. Clinicians may ensure adequate treatment frequency and duration to optimize outcomes.