ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07068698THUMBFUNUpdated Jul 16, 2025

Effects of Thumb Manipulation on Hand Grip Strength, Function, and Sensation

An interventional study of Thumb Manipulation in Thumb Manipulation, Hand Grip Strength and Hand Sensory Function, sponsored by SEFA HAKTAN HATIK. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 50 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-07-16.

Sponsored by SEFA HAKTAN HATIK · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Aug 2025, 1 year 3 months ago, but the record still lists the study as not yet recruiting.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 50 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This randomized controlled study will aim to investigate the effects of thumb manipulation on hand grip strength, function, and sensation in healthy individuals. A total of 60 volunteers aged between 18 and 50 years will be recruited from Ortadağ Special Education and Rehabilitation Center. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a chiropractic manipulation group (n=30) or a control group (n=30), with an equal distribution of males and females in each group. The intervention group will receive thumb manipulation twice weekly for 4 weeks, while the control group will not receive any intervention. Outcome measures will include two-point discrimination (assessed with a discriminator), hand grip strength (measured using a dynamometer), pinch strength (evaluated with a pinch meter), and hand function (measured by the Duruöz Hand Index). Statistical analyses will be performed with a significance level set at p\<0.05. It is expected that participants in the manipulation group will show greater improvements in all measured parameters compared to the control group, suggesting a positive effect of thumb manipulation on hand-related sensorimotor functions in healthy individuals.

Read the detailed description

This study will be designed as a randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effects of thumb manipulation on hand grip strength, functional ability, and sensory parameters in healthy individuals. Sixty volunteers aged between 18 and 50 years will be recruited from Ortadağ Special Education and Rehabilitation Center. After anthropometric assessments, participants will be randomly assigned into two groups: a chiropractic manipulation group (n=30) and a control group (n=30), with equal numbers of males and females in each group.

The intervention group will undergo thumb manipulation performed by a trained physiotherapist twice a week for four weeks. The control group will not receive any intervention during this period. All participants will be evaluated at baseline, at the end of the 4-week intervention, and at follow-up.

Outcome measures will include:

Hand grip strength, measured using a hand dynamometer, Pinch strength, assessed with a pinch meter on the thumb, index, and middle fingers, Two-point discrimination, evaluated on the thumbs using a discriminator tool, Hand function, assessed using the Duruöz Hand Index. This study will aim to determine whether a short-term thumb manipulation protocol can lead to measurable improvements in sensory and motor functions of the hand in a healthy population. The findings may provide a basis for future research involving clinical populations with hand dysfunction.

02

Conditions studied

  • Thumb Manipulation
  • Hand Grip Strength
  • Hand Sensory Function
  • Hand Function in Healthy Individuals
  • Sensory Function

Keywords

  • Thumb manipulation
  • Chiropractic
  • Hand grip strength
  • Hand function
  • Healthy individuals
03

In context

Lead sponsor

SEFA HAKTAN HATIK is the lead sponsor of 14 studies on the registry; 8 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 50 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged between 18 and 50
  • Willing to participate in the study
  • Have signed the form
  • Able to use verbal and written communication skills

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having that may prevent manipulation
  • Having a history of congenital or acquired orthopedic or neurological conditions affecting the upper extremity
  • Having a history of rheumatological diseases
  • Having a history of trauma or surgery affecting the upper extremity
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Chiropractic Manipulation Group (CMG)

    Participants in this group will receive chiropractic manipulation specifically applied to the thumb. The intervention will be administered twice a week for 4 weeks by a trained physiotherapist experienced in manual therapy techniques. Each session will involve standardized manipulation techniques aimed at improving thumb mobility, hand grip strength, sensory function, and overall hand function. No additional interventions or therapies will be provided during the study period.

    Other: Thumb Manipulation

  • No intervention
    Control Group (CG)

    Participants in the control group will not receive any intervention or treatment during the 4-week study period. They will continue their usual daily activities without any specific therapy applied. Outcome measurements will be conducted at the same time points as the intervention group to allow for comparison.

Interventions

  • OtherThumb Manipulation

    This intervention consists of chiropractic manipulation techniques applied specifically to the thumb joint. The manipulation will be performed by a trained physiotherapist twice weekly for 4 weeks. The procedure aims to improve thumb joint mobility, hand grip strength, sensory function, and overall hand function. Each session includes standardized manual therapy maneuvers targeting the thumb's range of motion and soft tissue mobility without the use of any devices or medications. The intervention differs from other manual therapies by focusing solely on the thumb region.

    Also known as: Chiropractic Thumb Manipulation, Manual Thumb Mobilization

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Duruoz Hand Index

    The Duruöz Hand Index is a validated self-reported questionnaire used to assess hand function and disability in daily activities. It includes 18 items covering various tasks such as dressing, hygiene, kitchen activities, and carrying objects. Each item is scored on a scale from 0 (no difficulty) to 5 (unable to perform), with higher scores indicating greater hand disability.

    Time frame: T0 (Baseline, before intervention), T1 (Week 2 of intervention), and T2 (Week 4, end of intervention

  2. Two-Point Discrimination Test

    The Two-Point Discrimination Test is used to evaluate sensory perception and tactile acuity. It measures the smallest distance at which two points of contact can be perceived as separate. In this study, the test will be applied to the thumb (right and left) using a standardized discriminator tool. Lower discrimination distances indicate better sensory perception. The test provides objective data on changes in cutaneous sensory function.

    Time frame: T0 (Baseline, before intervention), T1 (Week 2 of intervention), and T2 (Week 4, end of intervention)

  3. Pinchmeter

    Pinch strength will be measured using a standardized pinchmeter to assess lateral, palmar, and tip-to-tip pinch strength in the thumb, index, and middle fingers of both hands. The test will provide quantitative data on fine motor strength and thumb function. Higher values indicate increased pinch strength. The measurement will be used to evaluate the effect of thumb manipulation on hand function.

    Time frame: T0 (Baseline, before intervention), T1 (Week 2 of intervention), and T2 (Week 4, end of intervention)

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Start is estimated for Jul 2025; primary completion for Aug 2025, 1 month later.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jul 7, 2025
First posted
Jul 16, 2025
StartEst.
Jul 6, 2025
Primary completionEst.
Aug 6, 2025
CompletionEst.
Sep 6, 2025
Last update
Jul 16, 2025
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 16, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07068698
Lead sponsor
SEFA HAKTAN HATIK
Responsible party
SEFA HAKTAN HATIK (Asst. Professor, Sinop University) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Jul 16, 2025
Start date
Jul 6, 2025 (estimated)
Primary completion
Aug 6, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 6, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 16, 2025

Study contacts

SEFA H HATIK, Asst. Prof.
Contact
haktanhtk@gmail.com
+905058761553
OMER D KIZIL, PhD.
Contact
omerdiclekizil@gmail.com
+905415233691
SEFA H HATIK
principal investigator · Sinop University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jul 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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