A Case of Volkmann's Ischemic Contracture - A Case Report

The Volkmann's ischemic contracture (VIC) of the forearm is a sequel of the compartment syndrome of the forearm. We present a case of VIC treated by the Max page operation with a good functional outcome.

We report a case of 14-year-old boy with fingers flexion contracture, decreased hand mobility and pain on his left hand. He had a history of left forearm fracture and that was treated by a traditional bonesetter with herbs and cardboards 6 months back. Later he started to have pain and deformity of left hand for which they came to the BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences and diagnosed with VIC and started with antibiotics, analgesics and performed a Max Page operation after thorough work up.

Tight external splint age for supracondylar fractures of the humerus was the most common cause of ischemic contracture. The treatment of an established contracture is complicated and depends on the severity of the infarction and the affected muscle and nerve tissue. Flexor origin slide was the preferred treatment if the flexors still retain adequate strength. The procedure is simple and easy to perform. Adequate muscle release and proper post-operative physiotherapy are key to achieving good results.

VIC is not uncommon following a fracture treated in a traditional bonesetter. For moderate VIC, the flexor origin slide procedure and tendon transfer could still give benefit.