Acupotomy treatment for finger joint contracture after immobilization: Case report

Contractures frequently occur in the finger joints after immobilization. This report describes the effect of acupotomy treatment in patients with joint contracture due to immobilization of the finger joints. Case 1 was of a 39-year-old male patient who had flexion limitation of the left thumb and di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medicine (Baltimore) 2021-03, Vol.100 (10), p.e24988-e24988
Main Authors: Yoon, Sang-Hoon, Cha, Jiyun, Lee, Eunji, Kwon, Byeongjo, Cho, Kyongha, Kim, Sungha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acupuncture Therapy
Adult
Casts, Surgical - adverse effects
Clinical Case Report
Contracture - etiology
Contracture - physiopathology
Contracture - therapy
Female
Finger Injuries - surgery
Finger Joint - physiopathology
Humans
Joint Capsule - physiopathology
Male
Postoperative Complications - etiology
Postoperative Complications - physiopathology
Postoperative Complications - therapy
Range of Motion, Articular
Tendon Injuries - surgery
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Contractures frequently occur in the finger joints after immobilization. This report describes the effect of acupotomy treatment in patients with joint contracture due to immobilization of the finger joints. Case 1 was of a 39-year-old male patient who had flexion limitation of the left thumb and difficulty in grasping. Case 2 was of a 41-year-old female patient who had flexion limitation of the right index finger and difficulty in typing. Stiffness occurred after tendon repair surgery and cast immobilization in both cases. In Case 1, the patient had limited flexion movement of the first metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints after 5 weeks of immobilization of the left thumb in a cast. In Case 2, the patient had limited flexion movement after 3 weeks of immobilization of the second proximal interphalangeal joint of the left hand in a cast. We diagnosed both patients with finger joint contracture due to immobilization. Conservative treatment for approximately 4 weeks did not lead to improvement in either patient. Acupotomy is the key treatment for improving movement in Korean Medicine. Therefore, acupotomy was performed, and joint stiffness markedly improved without adverse events. Both patients reported that the daily use of the damaged fingers became comfortable. We found that acupotomy may be effective for finger joint contracture due to improper immobilization. We suggest it as a simple and safe treatment for joint contracture.
ISSN:0025-7974
1536-5964
DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000024988