Manual lymph drainage in systemic sclerosis

Manual lymph drainage improves upper limb oedema and hand function in patients with systemic sclerisis (SSC) in oedematour phase

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN24123906

Enrollment

Registered

2010-12-08

Start date

2009-03-10

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2021-11-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Systemic sclerosis Musculoskeletal Diseases Systemic sclerosis

Interventions

Intervention group: 16 patients treated for 5 weeks (twice a week, 1 hour per session) with manual lymph drainage at upper limbs. Control group: 16 patients asked to maintain their lif

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Both males and females, no age limits 2. Systemic sclerosis patients with oedematous hands fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Patients that do not meet the inclusion criteria 2. Ongoing infections and thrombosis

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The following items assessed at baseline, at the end of treatment (after 5 weeks) and after 9 weeks of follow-up. 1. Hands volume assessed by volumetric test 2. Hands function evaluated by Hand Mobility in Scleroderma (HAMIS) test, assessed in both hands	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
The following items assessed at baseline, at the end of treatment (after 5 weeks) and after 9 weeks of follow-up: 1. 4 visual assessment scales (VAS) 0-10 (0= best condition;10= worst condition) by which the patient self-assesses the entity (in the previous week) of 1.1. Hand oedema 1.2. Hand pain 1.3. The interference of hand oedema on the daily activities 1.4. The inferference of hand pain on the daily activities. 2. Quality of life, assessed by the 36-item Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)	—

Measure

Time frame

The following items assessed at baseline, at the end of treatment (after 5 weeks) and after 9 weeks of follow-up: 1. 4 visual assessment scales (VAS) 0-10 (0= best condition;10= worst condition) by which the patient self-assesses the entity (in the previous week) of 1.1. Hand oedema 1.2. Hand pain 1.3. The interference of hand oedema on the daily activities 1.4. The inferference of hand pain on the daily activities. 2. Quality of life, assessed by the 36-item Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)

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Countries

Italy

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026