Rehabilitation after surgery repair of flexor tendon injuries of the hand with Kleinert early passive mobilization protocol.

Background: Rehabilitation after surgery repair of flexor tendon injuries of the hand remains challenging and requires experienced professionals and interdisciplinary approaches.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate rehabilitation results after surgery repair of flexor tendon injuries in the hand with the early passive mobilization--Kleinert protocol.

Methods: In this retrospective case-series study rehabilitation results of flexor tendon injuries in the hand with the early passive mobilization--Kleinert protocol were evaluated in 35 patients, treated in the Orthopaedic Clinic University Clinical Centre of Kosovo between December 2007 and November 2008. Patients had unilateral injuries on right hand without associated injuries. Patients were divided in three groups: patient with injury of FPL (n = 15), patient with injury of FDP and FDS dig. I-V (n = 10) and patient with injury of FDP and FDS dig.II (n = 10). Patients were included in a rehabilitation program using the Kleinert-early passive mobilization protocol. Functional evaluation was made using the mean improvement on MCP, PIP and DIP joints motion, mean functional are of motion (FAM) and total active motion (TAM) scoring system of The American Society of Surgery of Hand. The functional outcomes were analyzed by Paired t-test, and One way Analysis of Variance, while the mean TAM score were compared using the Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks test with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: About 67% of patients with FPL injuries achieved excellent range TAM score, and about 22% of patients with FDS&FDP injuries achieved excellent and 74% good range of total active motion.

Conclusions: With earlier performed primary surgical tendon repair followed by Kleinert-early passive mobilization protocol may achieves satisfactory functional results for any flexor tendon injuries in zones I-IV of the hand.