The Manchester Short Splint in the Rehabilitation of Zone II Flexor Tendon Repairs

The Manchester Short Splint in the Rehabilitation of Zone II Flexor Tendon Repairs

The project sets out to compare two different splints in the outcome of zone II flexor tendon injury hand therapy rehabilitation programme. Traditional hand therapy is based on using a long forearm-based splint for 6 weeks in zone II flexor tendon injuries. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust have devised a new shorter splint to use as an alternative to the traditional longer splint as there are cogent reasons for believing that permitting more wrist movement during rehabilitation will improve the range of finger movement ultimately (tendonesis effects).

Patients will be randomised to receive either the traditional long splint, or the short splint. Patients will be followed up and data will be collected at routine hand therapy appointments.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult male and female patients 16 years and over, undergoing surgical repair of zone II flexor tendon injury in a single digit

Exclusion Criteria:

• Adult patients lacking capacity or motivation to participate in the planned physiotherapy
• Adult patients with special needs and vulnerable groups
• Adult patients who undergo surgical repair of their flexor tendon more than 4 days after the initial injury
• Patients unable to understand English adequately
• Adult patients unable to attend the hospital facility for the requisite number of planned physiotherapy sessions (social reasons)
• Adult patients with multiple level injuries
• Injuries with soft tissue loss requiring coverage
• Adult patients with two nerve injuries on the same finger
• Adult patients with multiple digit flexor tendon injury
• Adult patients with concomitant bony injury to the hand
• Children under 16 years age