Clinical Utility of ESWT in Restoring Hand Function of Patients With Nerve Injury and Hypertrophic Scars Due to Burns

Burns that occur in the hand cause early joint range-of-motion (ROM) limitations and hand muscle weakness that significantly affect quality of life. Hand burns, though restricted to a small total body surface area (TBSA), can have significant functional consequences. Joint contractures and nerve injuries are common after hand burns. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is effective not only for the regeneration of various tissues, including scar tissues, but also for reducing pain and pruritus in patients with burns.

The investigators have attempted to explore the effects of ESWT on hand dysfunction caused by nerve injury following burns. The investigators planned to evaluate the effects of ESWT (compared to sham stimulation) on hands with nerve injury and hypertrophic scars and thereby on hand function. The ESWT parameters were as follows: energy flux density, 0.05-0.30 mJ/mm2; frequency, 4 Hz; 1000 to 2000 impulses per treatment; and 12 treatments, one/week for 12 weeks. Outcome measures were as follows: 10-point visual analog scale for pain, Jebsen-Taylor hand function test, grip strength, Purdue Pegboard test, ultrasound measurement of scar thickness, and skin characteristics before and immediately after 12 weeks of treatment.

Inclusion criteria

• ≥ 18 years old
• had sustained a deep partial-thickness (second-degree) or a full-thickness (third-degree) burn in the right dominant hand, which had been treated with a split-thickness skin graft (STSG) after the thermal injury
• nerve injury to the hand was confirmed by electromyography
• < 6 months prior to the enrollment

Exclusion criteria

• musculoskeletal diseases (fracture, amputation, rheumatoid arthritis, and degenerative joint diseases) of the hands
• acute infection
• malignant tumors
• coagulopathy
• pregnancy
• potential for additional skin damage if exposed to ESWT and conventional occupational therapy.