Mobile Application for Improving Rehabilitation After Flexor Tendon Repair

Karolinska Institute

Status: Completed

Conditions: Flexor Digitorum Profundus Injury

Treatments: Other: Smart phone application

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03812978

FlexortendonsSOS2018

Details and patient eligibility

About

Can a mobile application improve adherence, self-efficacy and range of motion after flexor tendon repair? A randomized controlled multicenter trial.

Aim Evaluate how the use of a mobile application will affect exercise adherence, range of motion and self-efficacy when compared to standard rehabilitation after flexor tendon repair. Method Multicenter randomized controlled trial. Patients with flexor tendon repair in zone I or II were included and rehabilitated with early active motion and followed 12 weeks post-surgery. Randomization was performed by a computer-generated concealed block to control (n=60) or intervention group (n=60). Both groups received standard rehabilitation according to early active motion. Intervention group also received a smart phone app including; exercise videos, push-notifications for exercise, exercise diary, written information on the surgery, rehabilitation, questions and answers. Evaluation was made at baseline, 2, 6- and 12-weeks after surgery. Primary outcome was physiotherapist rated adherence on the Sport Injury Adherence Scale (SIRAS). Secondary outcome was self-reported adherence, perceived self-efficacy, total Active range of motion (TAM) in the Proximal Interphalangeal (PIP) joint and Distal Interphalangeal (DIP) joint and perceived satisfaction with rehabilitation and information.

Enrollment: 101 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Over 18 years old,
• Own a mobile phone, fluent in Swedish,
• Suited for early active motion rehabilitation
• Injury to one or both of the flexor tendons in the a finger

Exclusion criteria

• concomitant fracture in the hand
• tendon injury to flexor pollicis longus.
• Extensor tendon injury in the same hand.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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101 participants in 2 patient groups

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Standard treatment

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Standard treatment and intervention (Smart phone application)

Treatment:

Other: Smart phone application