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Published on: June 4, 2020
Grip strength in children after non-severe burn injury
Treya M Long1, Tanesha A Dimanopoulos2, Victoria M Shoesmith2
1Fiona Wood Foundation, 11 Robin Warren Drive, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia; University of Western Australia, Burn Injury Research Unit, School of Biomedical Sciences, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
Insights
Children with non-severe burns show reduced grip strength, particularly if assessed soon after injury or burned young. Females burnt at a young age face higher risks of impaired grip strength recovery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric burn recovery
- Musculoskeletal health
- Rehabilitation science
Background:
- Non-severe burn injuries in children can impact long-term musculoskeletal function.
- Understanding factors influencing grip strength recovery is crucial for effective rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize grip strength in pediatric patients with non-severe burn injuries.
- To identify demographic and clinical variables affecting musculoskeletal recovery post-burn.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective, cross-sectional audit of clinical data.
- Grip strength measured using standardized protocols and compared to normative data.
- General linear regressions assessed the impact of clinical, demographic, and physical variables.
Main Results:
- Children with non-severe burns exhibited reduced grip strength compared to age, sex, and hand-dominance matched norms.
- Assessment closer to injury time and younger age at burn were associated with lower grip strength.
- Females burnt at a young age showed a higher risk of impaired grip strength.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric patients with non-severe burns experience challenges in musculoskeletal strength recovery, notably grip strength.
- Early assessment post-injury and younger age at burn are key risk factors for diminished grip strength.
- Grip strength recovery is not significantly influenced by other clinical variables or burn characteristics.
Purpose:
To characterise grip strength in children with non-severe burn injury, and further understanding of how demographic and clinical variables impact musculoskeletal recovery.
Methods:
A retrospective, cross-sectional audit of routinely collected clinical data was performed. Standardised protocols were used to measure height, weight and grip strength. Demographic and clinical information was collected from patient medical records. Grip strength comparisons were made against normative data using paired t-tests. General linear regressions with backwards elimination were performed to assess impact of clinical, demographic and physical variables on grip strength.
Results:
Children who were right hand (RH) dominant had reduced RH (18.9 ± 9.9 kg, p = 0.001) and left hand (LH)(17.6 ± 9.3 kg, p = 0.027) grip strength compared to age, sex and hand-dominance matched norms (RH, 20.0 ± 10.0 kg; LH, 18.4 ± 9.5 kg). Children who were assessed closer to the time of their injury, and those who were burnt at a young age were more likely to score grip strength values below the norm (p < 0.001 for all analyses). In particular, females appeared to be at a higher risk of low grip strength scores if burnt at a young age (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Children with non-severe burn injury struggle to recover musculoskeletal strength, with those who were assessed closer to the time of injury or burnt at a young age especially at risk of impaired grip strength performance. Grip strength does not appear to be influenced by any other clinical variables or burn injury characteristics.
