Hospital-Based Versus Home-Based Program in Rehabilitation of Distal Radius Fractures

Ob-jec-ti-ve: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of supervised hospital-based exercise and home-based exercise on the recovery of patients after distal radius fractures.Materials and Methods: This study included 55 outpatients (40 women and 15 men; mean age: 50.3±13.7 years) with non-displaced, stable distal radius fractures treated with short cast immobilization after closed reduction. Patients who did passive range of motion (ROM) and gentle stretching exercises of the wrist supervised by a hand specialist at our hand rehabilitation department made up the hospital-based group (group I, n=35). Patients who performed ROM and stretching exercises by themselves at home constituted the home-based group (Group II, n=20). Wrist ROM, hand edema, and grip/pinch strength were evaluated at baseline and at the end of treatment.Results: At the end of treatment, improvements of wrist flexion and dorsiflexion, supination, and grip/pinch strength were significantly greater in group I compared to Group II (p<0.05).Conclusion: The results showed that exercise supervised by a hand specialist at hospital was more effective than home-based exercise after distal radius fractures. Turk J Phys Med Re-hab 2011;57:139-42.