Karacam Seher, Gultekinler Birgul Dingirdan
School of Physical Therapy, Kirsehir Ahi Evran University, Kirsehir, Turkey.
Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Sakarya University of Applied Sciences, Sakarya, Turkey.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2025 Jul 25;26(1):705. doi: 10.1186/s12891-025-08960-x.
Flexor tendon injuries are prevalent in Turkey and interest in hand rehabilitation is steadily increasing. However, there is no consensus regarding therapists’ rehabilitation decisions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the current approaches of hand therapists Turkey toward flexor tendon injuries.
A 15-item multiple-choice online survey was distributed via WhatsApp to therapists actively working in the field of hand rehabilitation in hospitals, clinics, public health institutions, and universities, who were also members of the Turkish Hand Therapists Association. The survey was distributed at two different points and remained open from February 2025 to April 2025.
This study surveyed 117 members of the Turkey Hand Therapists Association, achieving a 51.28% response rate with 60 therapists participating. Among respondents, 68.3% were physiotherapists, 20% academicians, and 11.7% occupational therapists. Half reported 0–5 years of experience, and 51.6% held postgraduate degrees. The majority (31.7%) initiated rehabilitation within postoperative weeks 0–1, and 78.3% had communication with the surgeon. The most preferred rehabilitation protocol was a combination of early active and early passive motions (60%). Regarding treatment specifics, 33.3% administered a total of 15 rehabilitation sessions, with session durations typically between 20 and 40 min (45%). Session frequency varied, with 35% conducting five sessions per week. Experience was the primary factor influencing protocol selection (73.3%). The most used assessment method was measuring normal joint range of motion (85%), while adhesion (73.3%) was the most frequently encountered complication, and re-rupture (15%) was the least common.
In Turkey, there has been a transition toward early mobilization approaches particularly employing early active motion techniques. However, parameters such as the frequency and duration of rehabilitation vary significantly among therapists. Therefore, future research in Turkey should aim to identify the most effective rehabilitation frequency and duration parameters by promoting enhanced collaboration among therapists.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-025-08960-x.
屈指肌腱损伤在土耳其很常见，人们对手部康复的兴趣也在稳步增加。然而，治疗师在康复决策方面尚未达成共识。因此，本研究的目的是调查土耳其手部治疗师对屈指肌腱损伤的当前治疗方法。
通过WhatsApp向在医院、诊所、公共卫生机构和大学从事手部康复领域工作的治疗师（他们也是土耳其手部治疗师协会的成员）发放了一份包含15个项目的多项选择题在线调查问卷。该调查在两个不同时间点发放，于2025年2月至2025年4月期间开放。
本研究对土耳其手部治疗师协会的117名成员进行了调查，60名治疗师参与，回复率为51.28%。在受访者中，68.3%是物理治疗师，20%是院士，11.7%是职业治疗师。一半的人报告有0至5年的经验，51.6%拥有研究生学位。大多数人（31.7%）在术后0至1周内开始康复治疗，78.3%与外科医生进行了沟通。最受欢迎的康复方案是早期主动运动和早期被动运动相结合（60%）。关于治疗细节，33.3%总共进行了15次康复治疗，每次治疗时间通常在20至40分钟之间（45%）。治疗频率各不相同，35%的人每周进行五次治疗。经验是影响方案选择的主要因素（73.3%）。最常用的评估方法是测量正常关节活动范围（85%），而粘连（73.3%）是最常遇到的并发症，再断裂（15%）是最不常见的。
在土耳其，已经向早期活动方法特别是采用早期主动运动技术转变。然而，治疗师之间康复治疗的频率和持续时间等参数差异很大。因此，土耳其未来的研究应旨在通过促进治疗师之间加强合作来确定最有效的康复频率和持续时间参数。
在线版本包含可在10.1186/s12891-025-08960-x获取的补充材料。
