Ruptured flexor tendon tenorrhaphies in zone II: repair and rehabilitation

Seven patients with ruptured flexor tenorrhaphies in zone II had surgical repair of the rupture and completed a second rehabilitation program of active flexion and extension exercises identical to that prescribed after the primary repair. The period between the primary repair and the rupture ranged from 14 to 72 days, with an average of 38 days. The period between the rupture and the secondary repair ranged between 1 and 14 days, with an average of 6 days. Four patients (57%) achieved good to excellent active motion at follow-up. These results are comparable to those obtained by patients with uncomplicated primary repairs that were treated early with passive motion exercises. We conclude that prompt repair of ruptured flexor tenorrhaphies and rehabilitation with active motion exercises is effective and that it should be considered before one chooses flexor tendon grafting.