The Effect of Motor Imagery in Patients With Radius Distal End Fracture

Distal Radius End Fracture (DRC) is one of the most common fractures among all extremity fractures and wrist fractures . Pain, edema and functional loss are common findings in patients, and the physiotherapy program should be well planned from an early time. However, although there are different physiotherapy and rehabilitation applications in the treatment of DRC, there is not enough information about the effectiveness of the applications when the evidence-based studies are examined.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of motor imagery added to conventional treatment versus conventional treatment with telerehabilitation in patients with distal radius end fracture. Motor imagery is defined as the mental presentation of voluntary movement without body movement. It is an application that does not require cost and it is a training that can be easily applied in rehabilitation programs. Telerehabilitation is important in the management of patients in the acute phase of the disease, as well as in the remote management of individuals with chronic health problems. Cases who applied to Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Orthopedics and Traumatology Clinic and were referred to Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department will be included in the study. Few studies have examined the effects of motor imagery on pain, kinesiophobia, and functionality in musculoskeletal injuries. Studies on the effects of motor imagery on different patient groups are needed. Therefore, in our study, the effect of motor imagery training applied with the telerehabilitation method on pain, kinesiophobia and functionality in patients with distal radius end fracture will be examined.

Sociodemographic data form of all subjects who volunteered to participate in the study; Age, gender, height, weight, pain, dominant extremity, and the type of fracture will be questioned. In addition, pain intensity is measured with a visual analog scale, normal joint movement measurement (wrist flexion, extension, ulnar and radial deviation, and forearm supination and pronation) with goniometer, hand grip strength with "Hydraulic hand dynamometer" , finger grip strength "Hydraulic Finger Dynamometer", kinesiophobia Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale, functionality "Arm, Shoulder and Hand Injury Questionnaire in Turkish (Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand-Turkish - DASH-T and The Patient-Based Wrist Assessment Questionnaire (HBEBD), with the fine dexterity Moberg Pick Up test, the motor imagery ability with the Recognize™ phone app and the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire, quality of life will be evaluated with SF-12.

After the initial evaluation, the treatment program was started. Advances in the treatment method specific to the groups they belong to are explained in detail below.

Treatment:

After the distal radius end fracture, after 6 weeks of plaster application, after the first evaluation to be made in the clinic after the plaster was removed, in the next session, after patient education, conventional treatment was applied to the cases in Group 1, 3 days a week as stated below.

Group 2: Conservative Treatment + Motor Imagery Program Patients in this group will have motor imagery in addition to conservative treatment. The patients in this group will first be given a motor imagery introductory session. According to the results of the observation and evaluation made by the physiotherapist before the treatment, the function of the patients