Injury of flexor tendon and extensor tendon
Xiao Peiqi, the attending physician in the rehabilitation department of Chimei Medical Center, and Yang Shuyu, the functional therapist, introduced that hand tendon injury can be caused by occupational accidents, work safety accidents, traffic accidents, fights and so on. Tendon is a tough tissue that connects muscles and bones. Hand tendon injuries include flexor tendon and extensor tendon injuries.
The so-called flexor tendon injury refers to the tearing or cutting of the palmar tendon of the hand, which makes the fingers unable to bend; Extensor tendon injury refers to the tearing or cutting of the tendon on the back of the hand, which makes the fingers unable to straighten.
Early postoperative rehabilitation treatment
Early rehabilitation after operation can lead to faster healing of healthy tendons and fewer complications. Most patients with flexor and extensor tendons will undergo tendon repair surgery. Whether to receive proper rehabilitation treatment after operation has a great influence on the recovery of hand function of patients. Usually, the tendon of hand belongs to the healing period within 3 weeks after suture, so it should be fixed in a safe posture; During the period of 3 to 6 weeks, moderate active activities can be carried out under the supervision of occupational therapists; After 6 weeks, resistance activities will start again, and the whole rehabilitation plan will take about 12 weeks.
Dr. Xiao Peiqi and Yang Shuyu's functional therapist pointed out that if patients receive early rehabilitation intervention immediately after operation or within 7 days after operation, tendons will heal faster, complications will be less, hand joint mobility and grip strength will be better, and patients will return to work as soon as possible.
Receive early rehabilitation in time
In addition, through the analysis of patients with hand tendon injury in various regions in the national health insurance database, it is found that patients who receive hand rehabilitation treatment within one week after tendon repair have fewer tendon operations, shorter rehabilitation cycle and lower total rehabilitation costs than patients who receive rehabilitation intervention in the middle and late stage.
Early rehabilitation treatment has three functions: patients with hand trauma often have different degrees of edema and pain in the early stage, leading to hand stiffness or contracture. Through the early intervention of rehabilitation treatment, the following three effects can be achieved: efficacy 1/ the degree of edema and pain reduction through posture and massage. Efficacy 2/ Reduce tissue adhesion by scar massage. Efficacy 3/ Reduce and prevent the severity of hand stiffness, promote wound healing and restore hand function as soon as possible through finger joint movement. Reminder: Patients in rehabilitation period should not engage in hand weight-bearing activities too early, otherwise it may lead to the rupture of reconstructed tendons. Although there are many benefits of early rehabilitation intervention, there are still many patients who have great doubts about safety and worry that premature rehabilitation intervention will lead to the risk of tendon rupture. However, according to clinical observation, the chances of re-operation of tendon in patients with hand rehabilitation within one week after operation did not increase.
Dr. Ding Ning Jr.
Patients with hand tendon injury may need tendon surgery or tendon release again because of tendon adhesion if they fail to get early rehabilitation after operation. Therefore, receiving hand rehabilitation treatment as soon as possible after operation can promote the recovery of hand function, realize independence of daily life and return to work as soon as possible.