Key Considerations for Nerve Transfer Rehabilitation After Surgical Reconstruction for Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Injuries.

Nerve transfer surgery is commonly used to treat patients with brachial plexus injuries. However, guidelines on postoperative rehabilitation are not clearly established. Nerve transfers require the patient to relearn how to recruit newly innervated muscle(s), which may not occur naturally or intuitively. Supervised therapy is a valuable resource to guide patients through their lengthy recovery (often >12 months) because target muscle strength is both obtained and functionally used in daily life. This article highlights 10 key principles that provide the foundation for rehabilitation following nerve transfer surgery after a brachial plexus injury. Due to the shortcomings of the current evidence base for nerve transfer rehabilitation, we have included our anecdotal experience to augment the existing literature. It is important to have a collaborative surgeon-therapist relationship to communicate regarding operative details, expected timelines for reinnervation, patient needs, and realistic expectations. We provide examples of how to tailor the exercise program to synergistically recruit both the donor and target muscle action, including how to appropriately advance exercises based on the current level of nerve return. We also discuss the role that fatigue plays in denervated muscle and how fatigue may affect the exercise demands placed on the target muscle during specific stages of recovery.

Expectant Management, Tendon Transfer, or Nerve Transfer Surgery for Radial Nerve Injury: A Qualitative Study Exploring Patient Expectations, Goals, and Treatment Experiences.

BACKGROUND: After a radial nerve injury, patients must weigh a complicated set of advantages and disadvantages to observation or surgery. We conducted semistructured interviews to characterize the decision-making process that these patients undertake. METHODS: We recruited participants who were treated with expectant management (nonoperatively), received only a tendon transfer, or received a nerve transfer. Participants completed a semistructured interview that was transcribed and coded to identify recurring themes, to describe the influence of qualitative findings on treatment decision-making. RESULTS: We interviewed 15 participants (5 expectant management, 5 tendon transfer only, and 5 nerve transfer). Participants' primary concerns were returning to work, hand appearance, regaining motion, resuming activities of daily living, and enjoying hobbies. Delayed diagnosis and/or insurance coverage led 3 participants to change treatment from nerve transfer to isolated tendon transfer. Interactions with providers early in diagnosis and treatment had strong effects on how members of the care team were perceived. The hand therapist was the primary person who shaped expectations, provided encouragement, and prompted referral to the treating surgeon. Participants valued debate among the care team members regarding treatment, provided that medical terminology was explained. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of initial, collaborative care in setting expectations for patients with radial nerve injuries. Many participants named returning to work and hand appearance as primary concerns. Hand therapists were the primary source of support and information during recovery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Recruiting hand therapists improves disposal of unused opioid medication.

BACKGROUND: Opioids often remain unused after upper extremity surgery, and leftover prescriptions are frequently diverted. When administered in a hand surgery clinic, an educational brochure outlining a simple method of opioid disposal has been shown to improve disposal rates after surgery. PURPOSE: To understand whether administration of an opioid disposal educational brochure in a hand therapy clinic would increase opioid disposal rates, compared to a hand surgery clinic. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Patients who presented to a hand therapy clinic postoperatively were recruited to participate in this prospective cohort study. An educational brochure outlining a simple method of opioid disposal was made available at the hand therapy and surgery clinics. A questionnaire was later issued to obtain: location of brochure receipt, demographic information, pre- and post-operative opioid use history, and opioid disposal patterns. Chi-square tests and multivariable binary logistic regression assessed associations between medication disposal and explanatory variables. RESULTS: Patients who received the brochure were significantly more likely to dispose of excess opioid medication, compared to those who did not receive the brochure (57.1% vs 10.8%, p < .001). Patients who received the brochure at the hand therapy clinic were significantly more likely to dispose of excess opioids (86.4%) compared to those who received the brochure at the surgery clinic (25.0%). Older age was predictive of increased disposal (p =.028*). There were no significant associations between gender, length of follow-up, or surgery type with the incidence of opioid disposal. CONCLUSION: Recruiting both hand therapists and surgeons in the distribution of a simple, educational brochure on opioid disposal can increase disposal rates. Patients who received the brochure from the hand therapist were more likely to dispose of excess opioids. The longstanding patient-therapist relationship creates an opportunity for educational initiatives and discussion of stigmatized topics, such as opioid use.

The Impact of Social Deprivation and Hand Therapy Attendance on Range of Motion After Flexor Tendon Repair.

PURPOSE: To examine the influence of social deprivation and hand therapy attendance on active range of motion (AROM) outcomes following flexor tendon repair. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent primary zone I-III flexor tendon repair between November 2016 and November 2020. Area deprivation index (ADI) was used to quantify social deprivation. Medical record review determined each patient's demographic characteristics, injury details, total hand therapy visits, and final AROM outcome. Active range of motion was converted to Strickland's percentage for analysis. Spearman correlation and simple and multivariable linear regression models were used to assess relationships between explanatory variables and outcomes. RESULTS: There were a total of 109 patients, with a mean ADI of 53 and mean therapy attendance of 13 visits. Higher ADI and lower therapy attendance were correlated, and each was associated with significantly decreased Strickland's percentage. In the multivariable model, therapy attendance, ADI, zone 2 injury, and age maintained significant associations with Strickland's percentage. CONCLUSIONS: Socially deprived patients attend fewer therapy sessions and obtain poorer AROM after flexor tendon repair. Social deprivation is likely to contribute to poor outcomes both by its association with decreased therapy attendance and by other potential pathways that make it difficult for deprived patients to achieve good surgical outcomes. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic IV.

The relationship between depression, anxiety, and pain interference with therapy referral and utilization among patients with hand conditions.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with upper extremity conditions may also experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, and pain that limit functional recovery. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study examined the impact of mental health and pain symptoms on referral rates to therapy and utilization of therapy services to achieve functional recovery among patients with common hand conditions. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients from one orthopedic center. METHODS: Data extraction provided demographics, the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision diagnoses, therapy referral, therapy visit counts, treatment goal attainment, and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression, Anxiety, and Pain Interference scores. The chi-square test, t-test, and logistic regression analyses assessed associations between baseline PROMIS depression, anxiety, and pain interference to therapy referral, the number of therapy visits, and goal attainment. RESULTS: Forty-nine percent (172/351) of patients were referred to hand therapy. There was no relationship between three baseline PROMIS scores based on physician referral (t-test P values .32-.67) and no association between PROMIS scores and therapy utilization or goal attainment (Pearson correlation (r): 0.002 to 0.020, P > .05). Referral to therapy was most strongly associated with having a traumatic condition (P < .01). Patients with high depression, anxiety, and pain interference scores on average required one more therapy visit to achieve treatment goals (average visits: 3.7 vs 3.1; 4.1 vs 2.7; 3.4 vs 2.3, respectively). Fewer patients with high depression scores (50%) achieved their long-term goals than patients with low depression scores (69%, P = .20). CONCLUSIONS: Patients' baseline level of depressive symptoms and anxiety do not predict referrals to hand therapy by orthopedic hand surgeons. There is some indication that patients with increased depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain interference require more therapy with fewer achieving all goals, suggesting that mental health status may affect response to therapy. Therapists may address mental health needs in treatment plans. Future studies should examine if nonreferred patients with depressive symptoms achieve maximal functional recovery.

Predictors of functional outcome after peripheral nerve injury and compression.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. INTRODUCTION: Upper-extremity peripheral nerve injuries can impact long-term pain, work performance, and disability, yet there are few studies evaluating treatment outcomes for a large sample of patients with varying peripheral nerve pathology. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study was to identify outcomes of care and predictors of disability and health status in adults with peripheral nerve injuries. METHODS: We explored medical records from 364 patients treated by a plastic surgeon over a three-year period. Descriptive and inferential statistics compared the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand, Short-Form 8, and routine intake data between baseline and discharge, diagnosis, and intervention group. Multivariate linear regression models predicted disability, work disability, and physical and mental health at discharge. RESULTS: We found significant improvements in disability, work disability, pain, depression, and stress. Health status changed minimally. Disability decreased most in patients who were working and who had symptoms fewer than six months. Outcomes were not statistically different between surgical and nonsurgical patients. Disability was the highest in patients with brachial plexus injuries. Multivariate models predicted 35 to 55% of the variance in the outcome measures. Factors that were highly predictive of functional outcomes included work status, household management, pain, depression, stress, and difficulty sleeping. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with peripheral nerve injuries experience improved pain and disability whether treated surgically or nonsurgically. Maintaining engagement in meaningful home and work roles may improve outcomes. Helping patients manage pain remains important, along with combatting stress, depression, and sleep deprivation.