INCIDENCE OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN AFTER SURGERY IN FLEXOR TENDON INJURY

Murat Baloğlu¹, Abdulkadir Calavul², Abdurrahim Taş³

¹Diyarbakır Gaziyaşargil Training and Research Hospital, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Diyarbakır, Turkey. - ²Metrolife Hospital, Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, ŞanliUrfa, Turkey. - ³Dicle University, Faculty of Medicine, Neurosurgery Clinic, Diyarbakir, Turkey

Objective: Flexor muscles are the muscles that allow the fingers to bend inward. They are connected to the finger bones by structures called tendons, which look like cords coming out of the existing muscles in the forearm. Flexor muscles start from the elbow or forearm and turn into tendons in the middle of the arm and extend to the fingertips. In the fingers, the flexor tendons pass through tunnels called pulleys. Pulleys form tunnels on the tendon, preventing it from moving away from the bone and enabling the joints to work more actively. It was aimed to measure the incidence of neuropathic pain after surgical procedures in flexor tendon injuries seen within the scope of our study.

Methods: Our study was conducted with 50 patients diagnosed with flexor tendon injury and treated surgically. The sociodemographic Information Form and the accepted LANSS scale used in the diagnosis of neuropathic pain were applied to all participants.

Result: In our study, while the rate of female patients was 71%, the rate of male patients was calculated as 29%. However, within the scope of our study, the ratios of men and women in both groups were very close to each other. In the literature review, it has been reported that flexor tendon injuries are more common in males and generally occur in middle ages (11-12). The median age of the patients was calculated as 49.1±2.2 years. The height was 1.65 m, and the average weight was found to be about 78 kg. In general, we came across a group of patients over middle age with short stature and weight problems.

Conclusion: Considering the clinical findings, these questionnaires can be used to identify potential tendon patients and may be a guide in the treatment of pain. Due to the ease of application and evaluation of the questionnaire, it is recommended for clinicians to use it easily.