The effect of motor imagery on functionality, pain, kinesiophobia, and quality of life in patients with distal radius fractures: A randomized controlled double-blind study.

Background: Conventional physiotherapy plays a significant role in treating distal radius fractures (DRF), but pain and functional limitations can persist despite treatment. Therefore, additional interventions are needed to improve treatment efficacy. Motor imagery (MI) has been shown to improve pain, function, range of motion (ROM), and muscle strength in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, though studies on its effect on upper extremity injuries are limited.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of MI training applied with the telerehabilitation method on pain, kinesiophobia, and functionality in patients with DRF.

Study design: This was a double-blind randomized controlled trial with registration number NCT05360836.

Methods: Thirty volunteer patients aged 18-65 years with DRF, who decided to be treated conservatively, were randomly allocated to either the conventional treatment (CT) group (n = 15; 40.28 ± 18.18 years) or the MI group (n = 15; 38.80 ± 14.12 years). The MI group received imagery treatment in addition to traditional rehabilitation, and the CT group received traditional rehabilitation (three times a week for 8 weeks). Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand was our primary outcome measure, while the secondary outcome measures included the Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation, Visual Analog Scale, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, normal ROM in the wrist joint, grip strength of hand and finger, left-right discrimination, and quality of life.

Results: The pain intensity, wrist functional status, muscle strength, active ROM, and quality of life were improved in both groups. Group comparisons showed statistically significant changes in Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation-function parameter, wrist extension active ROM, and hand grip strength in favor of the MI group (respectively, Δmean = -13.15, p = 0.034, effect size [ES] = 0.76, Δmean = -9.33, p = 0.019, ES = 0.91, Δmean = -10.96, p = 0.008, ES = 0.94).

Conclusions: Adding MI to conservative treatment after DRF improved function, wrist extension, and hand grip strength compared to CT alone.