[Treatment routines of flexor tendon injuries. Results of a questionnaire study]

A questionnaire was distributed to the surgical departments of all Norwegian hospitals, asking about the routines for treating flexor tendon injuries in 1990. The response rate was 95.5%. Some of the smaller hospitals did their own flexor tendon surgery, but referred patients with a complex injury to a hospital with better trained hand surgeons. In 1990, a total of 573 flexor tendon repairs were carried out in Norwegian hospitals. After surgery, all patients had a cast or a brace for a period ranging from three to six weeks. Most of the hospitals used dynamic traction and had a programme for training the patient, which was supervised by a hand therapist. Active flexion was allowed from two to eight weeks after the operation. We recommend referral of all flexor tendon injuries in zone II to a surgical unit with trained hand surgeons. After surgery, a programme including dynamic traction and training supervised by the surgeon and a hand therapist should be compulsory.