Effectiveness of a Home-based, Self-administered Exercise Program for Hands in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Hand involvement is one of the most observed musculoskeletal involvements in patients with SSc, which can impact on general health, quality of life, and psychological status. Hand exercise programs can help patients to improve not only hand function but also general health status; nevertheless, further randomized control trials (RCTs) are needed to clarify its effect. Hence, the investigators aimed to investigate the effectiveness of home-based, self-administered exercise program for hands in patients with SSc and demonstrate the improvements in general health status.