gms | German Medical Science

Objective: To determine the role of the mobile phone technology in teaching post-rehabilitative exercises in teaching post-operative exercises after tendon transfer surgery for the correction of ulnar claw hand deformity.

Materials and Methods: Post-operative protocol after tendon transfer for the correction of the ulnar claw hand consist of the four weeks of post-operative supervised physiotherapy. During the post-operative physiotherapy period patient is admitted for the period of four weeks in the hospital and they have to undergo physiotherapy.

Admission in hospital for physiotherapy is most of the time is not well accepted by the patients because of various reasons.

In the case described here, the patient was discharged from the hospital only after the two weeks of the post-operative physiotherapy (as per the protocol patient has to do four weeks of supervised physiotherapy).

And rest of the two weeks physiotherapy was done by the patient himself at home under the supervision of the physiotherapist through mobile phone using video calling. The post-operative physiotherapeutic results were compared in both the groups in

1.

Maintaining the lumbrical position

2.

Making the fist

3.

Doing activities of daily living

4.

Grip strength

5.

Pinch strength

6.

Unassisted PIP angles

Results: As per the result obtained both groups were having the same results, the patient who did physiotherapy under supervision through mobile phone.

Conclusions: Post-poerative physiotherapy after tendon transfer is a long process and tiring process and usually involves admission of the patients to undergo supervised physiotherapy. Some of the patients feel depressed because of the long stay in the hospital.

Therefore if patients can be discharged two weeks early and allowed to do supervised physiotherapy through the mobile phone video calling then rehabilitation time in the hospital can be reduced.