Management of the acutely burned hand for the nonspecialized clinician

The hand is the most frequent site of thermal injury, and it is reported that didactic burn care training for physical therapists is severely lacking. This article is written for clinicians who do not routinely manage burned hands, with the purpose of outlining a plan for physical therapy evaluation and treatment of acute hand burns. The plan for management is guided by the clinician asking for questions: 1) What is the depth of burn and what tissues are involved? 2) When did the burn occur? 3) What surfaces of the hand are involved? and 4) What course of management has the physician elected to follow? The therapist can then formulate a plan of management for the acutely burned hand through integration of this information with a prior understanding of wound repair, hand anatomy, and kinesiology.