Complications experienced in the rehabilitation of zone I flexor tendon injuries with dynamic traction splinting

A retrospective review of all flexor tendon repairs done between January 1985 to June 1987 determined the complication rate with our method of rehabilitation. One hundred sixty-three flexor tendon lacerations in 83 patients were reviewed. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 42 months. All patients participated in the same 12-week rehabilitation protocol. All patients had passive motion exercises of the interphalangeal joints in the first 2 weeks. We believe that passive stretching of zone I injuries during the first 2 weeks contributed to the zone I complication rate. Of the 20 patients with zone I tendon-to-tendon repairs, 7 patients had significant complications. The 35% complication rate found with zone I injuries has prompted us to modify our postoperative rehabilitation protocol in zone I injuries.