Telerehabilitation After Zone 1 and 2 Flexor Tendon Repairs: Comparison With In-Person Therapy

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Digital Health

Background:

• Telerehabilitation (TR) use surged during the COVID-19 pandemic for remote hand therapy.
• TR has shown promising outcomes for flexor tendon repairs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical outcomes of remote telerehabilitation versus traditional in-person therapy for flexor tendon repairs.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of TR as an alternative to in-person hand therapy.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, nonrandomized comparative study involving 23 patients (25 fingers) with flexor tendon repairs in zones 1 and 2.
• Patients were divided into TR (10 fingers) and in-person (IP) therapy (15 fingers) groups.
• Outcomes measured included Total Active Motion (TAM) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores at 6, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively.

Main Results:

• Both TR and IP groups demonstrated significant improvements in TAM and DASH scores over time (P < .001).
• No statistically significant differences were observed between the TR and IP groups in TAM scores, DASH scores, or extensor deficit degrees at any assessment point (P > .05).

Conclusions:

• Telerehabilitation provides comparable clinical outcomes to in-person therapy for flexor tendon repairs in zones 1 and 2.
• TR is a viable and effective alternative to traditional hand therapy, suitable for integration into clinical practice.