Now It's Up to You… OPED Gets You Moving We at OPED are experts in medical technology. We develop all our orthopedic rehabilitation products in-house and manufacture them in Germany. Our goal: A mobile patient. www.oped.de Further information: OPED GmbH Medizinpark 1 83626 Valley/Oberlaindern Germany Fon +49 (0) 80 24/60 81 8-210 Fax +49 (0) 80 24/60 81 8-299 [email protected] www.oped.de OPED UK Ltd Unit 2 Glenmore Business Centre Waller Road Hopton Industrial Estate Devizes SN10 2EQ United Kingdom Phone +44 (0)1380 722177 Fax +44 (0)1380 710095 [email protected] www.opeduk.co.uk OPED Australia Pty Ltd 2/97 Montague St. North Wollongong NSW 2500 Phone +61 (0)2 4226 5880 Fax +61 (0)2 4226 5881 [email protected] www.oped.com.au WM-INVH-20-2-EN | artraction | Scherer GmbH | 01/2014 Everything Your Hand Needs. Flexor Tendon Injuries

Dear patient, This booklet contains all the information you need regarding your injury, as well as an exercise program designed to help you on your way to a quick recovery. Many patients are often left in the dark as to the exact nature of their injury, and what happens during surgery and phisiotherapy. This booklet will provide you with some basic information regarding the anatomical and biomechanical structure of the hand, showing you just how delicate flexor tendon injuries are. We hope to shed some light on this tricky subject, and that your recovery process is a smooth an successful one....

• Only the deep flexor tendon is injured. (M. flexor digitorum profundus) • Runs across the palm of the hand, in the area of the metacarpal bone. Here, the superficial and/or deep flexor tendon are injured. (M. flexor digitorum profundus and superficialis) • Healing in this zone is not as critical as in zone 2. This zone corresponds to the carpal tunnel and contains nine flexor tendons (see zones 1 and 2) as well as the nervus medianus. This zone runs from the edge of the carpal tunnel to the muscle-tendon transition in the middle of the forearm. Due to the differences in anatomy and healing...

Follow-Up Treatment • Here, the long thumb flexor tendon (M. flexor policis longus) was injured. Here, the long thumb flexor tendon (M. flexor policis longus) was injured. The surrounding muscles for control of the thumb are (in most cases) also affected. Healing Time As mentioned previously, flexor tendons will often adhere to the surrounding tissue when healing, which can cause further limitations in mobility. Early movement therapy can assist in preventing, or at least reducing, the effects of this process. However, due to the fragility of the flexor tendons, and the risks of re-injury, its...

Basic Principle of the VACOhand Flex The VACOhand Flex provides state of the art treatment for flexor tendon injuries. The spring tension system allows patients to stretch their fingers without exterting force on the flexor tendons. The wrist and metacarpophalangeal joints are kept in a bent position.

www.handconcept.de Please check! Exercise suitable This exercise can be done at home to reduce swelling: Swelling Reduction Stretching and bending the arms with fingers tensed • Stretch your arms towards the ceiling, palms facing forward, while keeping your fingers stretched. • Lower your arms, and allow the spring balancers to bend your fingers gently back.

Home Exercise Program (approx. 6 weeks after surgery) You've made it through the hard part. By now, your injury should have healed nicely, and you should be free from the limitation of wearing an orthosis. The following pages will outline various exercises which can be done with your therapist, and also at home, as per their advice. It is important that you carefully follow the recommendations of your therapist, and to remember that you bear much of the responsibility for your own successful rehabilitation. Remember that each patient's recovery time is unique-persistence is key. • Patient's cooperation...

www.handconcept.de Please check! Please check! Exercise suitable Exercise suitable Exercise objectives: • Prevent / reduce swelling of injured hand. • Gradually increase mobility. • Prevent adhesion of ligaments to tendon sheaths in surgical area. It is recommended that the following exercises be performed 5 times a day, and repeated 15 times each. Simple Finger Stretch • Rest the elbow of the injured arm on a table, with the arm pointing upwards, and the fingers together. • Spread the fingers apart before bringing them back together. Swelling Reduction

www.handconcept.de Please check! Please check! Exercise suitable Exercise suitable Swelling Reduction MCP* Joint Stretch (*For joints between the metacarpal bones and knuckles, metacarpophalangeal joint) • Stabilize the middle of the injured hand with the healthy hand by placing it underneath the metacarpal joints (see illustration) • Stretch the MCP joints by bending the fingers of the injured hand. PIP* Manicure Stretch (*For middle finger joint, or the proximal interphalangeal joint) • Stabilize the back of injured hand with the healthy hand by placing the fingers as indicated in the illustration....

www.handconcept.de Please check! Please check! Exercise suitable Exercise suitable Basic Mobility Improvement • Using the fingers of your healthy hand, hold the MCP joint of your injured finger near the PIP joint in order to stabilize it. • Bend and stretch the PIP joint as far as possible. DIP* Stretch (*First Finger Joint/distal interphalangeal joint) • Stabilize the middle bone of the injured finger above the DIP with the figners of your healthy hand. • Bend and stretch the tip of the finger at its DIP joint as much as possible

www.handconcept.de Please check! Please check! Exercise suitable Exercise suitable Moving Your Fingers Therapy Putty Improvement of Finger Mobility Touch each finger to your thumb one after the other, making sure to form a closed circle. Start slowly and gradually increase the speed of the movement. Therapy putty is used to increase mobility in the fingers and hand by helping to strengthen muscles and re-train fine motor skills. Regular use of therapy putty will bear quick results in improving overall hand and finger coordination. The more limitated your range of movement is, the softer the putty...