Joint range of motion of uninjured fingers after repairs to flexor tendon injuries of the hand

Objective: To assess the range of motion (ROM) in hands that underwent tendon repair in the flexor digitorum superficialis and flexor digitorum profundus muscles of the fingers, comparing the data between the fingers on the injured hand, and between the injured and uninjured hands. Method: Active goniometry was performed on 15 patients, making a total of 120 fingers (60 on injured hands and 60 on noninjured control hands). The patients were examined at the time of removing the plaster splint. Early mobilization was performed using the modified Duran method. Goniometric data were used for recording the TAM (total active motion) values of the fingers on the injured and uninjured (control) hands. To analyze the data, the functional index formula proposed by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) was utilized, and for statistical calculations the mixed-effect model was selected. Results: The ASSH formula for the injured fingers classified the movement as "good" in 18.33%, "fair" in 18.33% and "poor" in 63.34%. The means, in degrees, of the measurements for all the fingers were compared with each other within each group (control and injured) and between the groups. A significant difference was found between control and injured groups. There was no statistical difference between the TAM of each finger on the injured hand. Conclusion: Independent of how many fingers on one hand had suffered tendon injuries, the uninjured fingers also presented diminished active ROM during the period immediately after removal of the immobilization.