Supervised physical therapy vs home exercise program for patients with distal radius fracture: A single-blind...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Physical Therapy
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Distal radius fractures (DRF) are common, with rehabilitation often involving supervised physical therapy (PT) or home exercise programs (HEP).
• Evidence comparing the efficacy of supervised PT versus unsupervised HEP for DRF patients, particularly older adults, remains inconclusive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of supervised PT versus unsupervised HEP in improving pain and functional status.
• To evaluate outcomes in patients over 60 years old with distal radius fractures.

Main Methods:

• A randomized clinical study involving 74 patients (older than 60) with DRF.
• Patients were allocated to either 12 sessions of supervised PT (n=37) or an unsupervised HEP (n=37).
• Outcomes were assessed using the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) at baseline, 6 weeks, and 6 months, with statistical power analysis and t-tests/Mann-Whitney tests used.

Main Results:

• The supervised PT group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in total PRWE scores, function, and pain at 6 weeks and 6 months.
• Clinically significant differences favoring supervised PT were observed in total PRWE and function scores at both follow-up points.

Conclusions:

• Supervised physical therapy is more effective than home exercise programs for enhancing function in the short and medium term.
• This finding applies to patients over 60 with extraarticular distal radius fractures without immediate complications.