Aggressive Approach to Physical Therapy Management of the Burned Hand

Abstract

Hand burn care requires physical therapy involvement from the earliest stage of wound management. Hand burns may cause loss of sensation, decreased range of motion, loss of tissue and digits, or a combination of these conditions. The initial evaluation must include careful analysis of the extent and depth of the hand burn and concomitant injuries. Proper-positioning splints and active and passive range-of-motion exercises are vital to the preservation and restoration of function of the burned hand. This clinical report describes an aggressive physical therapy hand burn management program that is initiated early in patient care and continued throughout patient hospitalization and outpatient follow-up.