ABSTRACT
Objective:To observe the clinical effect of extracorporeal shock wave treatment in the treatment of functional disorders after a palm crush injury.Methods:Forty patients who had experienced a hand crush injury more than 3 months previously were randomly divided into a control group and a combination group, each of 20. Both groups were given routine joint mobilization, ultrasound treatment, muscle strength training and occupational therapy every day in ten day units for 2 months. The combination group also received extracorporeal shock wave therapy three times a week for the two months. Before the experiment and after one and two months of treatment, both groups′ upper limb functioning was evaluted using the DASH score, grip strength and hand flexibility in the 9-hole wood board test.Results:After 2 months of treatment, significant improvement was observed in all of the measurements with both groups. The average scores of the combination group on all three tests were by then significantly better than the control group′s averages.Conclusions:Adding extracorporeal shock wave therapy to routine rehabilitation can improve the rough and fine functioning of a crushed hand.