Rehabilitation of Distal Radius Fractures

The aim of this study was to assess the evidence regarding the adoption and effectiveness of therapeutic procedures employed for rehabilitation of distal radius fractures. This systematic review used the following databases: PubMed, Lilacs, PEDro, Cochrane, Scielo and OTseeker, without time restrictions. The following keywords were searched for: distal radius fracture, rehabilitation, occupational therapy, physiotherapy including reports in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Twenty-two studies were retrieved and analyzed by two independent investigators following the PEDro scale criteria. Other non-experimental studies were included for additional information regarding certain rehabilitation approaches. Of the 14 randomized controlled clinical trials, four compared early mobilization to 1 – Medical Sciences School of Minas Gerais, MG, Brazil. 2 – Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of Minas Gerais – UFMG, MG, Brazil. 3 – Hand surgery services, Hospital Mater Dei and Hospital Militar de Minas Gerais, MG, Brazil, Department of Physiotherapy – Federal University of Minas Gerais, MG, Brazil. Correspondences to: Departamento de Fisioterapia – Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antonio Carlos, 6627 – Campus Pampulha, CEP 31270-901 Belo Horizonte – MG – Brasil Citation: Barbosa PSH, Teixeira-Salmela LF, Cruz RB. Rehabilitation of distal radio fractures. Acta Ortop Bras. [online]. 2009; 17(3):182-6. Available from URL: http://www.scielo.br/aob