Analysing orthotic designs for de Quervain's disease based on in vivo gliding distance of extensor pollicis brevis tendon

Background/Aims:
To reconsider orthotic designs used for de Quervain's disease based on in vivo information obtained from ultrasound images.
Methods:
The hands (n=40) of 20 healthy adult men and women participants with no history of thumb injury or deformation were examined. A two-dimensional tissue tracking system was used to quantitatively measure in vivo gliding distance in the extensor pollicis brevis tendon during thumb interphalangeal joint autonomic movement while wearing a thumb spica orthosis.
Findings:
Results revealed anatomical variations in the insertion of the extensor pollicis brevis tendon in 9 (22.5%) hands. A septum was noted in the first dorsal compartment of the extensor tendon in 23 (57.5%) hands. Multiple comparison testing of gliding distance across four groups, classified by the presence or absence of anatomical variations and/or septa using Tukey's test, revealed significant differences for gliding distance between groups with and without anatomical variations, regardless of whether septa were observed (p=0.01).
Conclusions:
It is necessary to evaluate physical characteristics such as septa and anatomical variations based on advanced screening with ultrasound examinations before considering thumb fixation range for patients in the acute inflammation phase or those exhibiting recurrence of de Quervain's disease.

内容要旨・審査要旨・論文本文の公開
本論文は, 著者Seiji Ishiiの学位論文として提出され, 学位審査・授与の対象となっている。

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, copyright © MA Healthcare, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher.To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.12968/ijtr.2018.25.2.51.