Association between sensory, motor, and functional abilities among burned hand patients

Context: Burn injuries are one of the most common health issues of the universe. Burn injuries in hand are very frequent, and in spite of appearance that the expanse of the hand represents < 3% of the total body surface area (TBSA) on each hand, burn injury may have major significance on the quality of the life of an individual. Although the studies have shown the association of burn with either functional, motor, or sensory functions, no such study was found which evaluated and related all the three aspects of hand function, i.e., sensory, motor, and functional activities. Subjects and Methods: Individuals aged between 18 to 60 years satisfying the examination process were included for the study. Two groups were allocated, including 10 burned hand patients and 10 controlled subjects. All the 20 subjects were examined for sensory, motor, and functional abilities. Pain, temperature, and 2-point discrimination sensitivities were tested; motor functions were tested using Strickland method, Kleinert method, and Jamar hand dynamometer, and functional impairment was tested using Michigan Hand Questionnaire (MHQ). Statistical Analysis Used: The descriptive data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Spearman's rank correlation test was applied using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 16.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.” Result: TBSA was significantly related to the pain perceived on the Visual analog scale (VAS) (r = 0.509; P < 0.05). Significant correlation was seen with MHQ work (r = 0.611; P < 0.05), MHQ esthetics (r = 0.788; P < 0.05), and MHQ satisfaction (r = 0.654; P < 0.05) in relation to TBSA. Degree of burn was significantly related to the pain perceived on VAS (r = 0.907, P < 0.05), pain sensation, temperature, and 2-point discrimination (r = 0.59, P < 0.05). Significant correlation was seen with grip strength (r = 0.77, P < 0.05) and further, index finger flexion (r = 0.866), middle finger flexion (r = 0.949), ring finger flexion (r = 0.909), and little finger flexion (r = 0.910) were significantly related (P < 0.05) to degree of burn. MHQ was significantly related (P < 0.05) to degree of burn in terms of overall hand function (r = 0.836), ADL (r = 0.825), work (r = 0.790), pain (r = 0.574), esthetics (r = 0.86), and satisfaction (r = 0.884) in relation to degree of burn. Conclusion: TBSA was significantly co-related with pain in terms of sensory function and showed significant relationship with functional abilities in terms of work, esthetic, and satisfaction. Degree of burn significantly related to the pain, temperature, and 2-point discrimination in terms of sensory abilities, grip strength, Strickland method, and Kleinert method in terms of motor abilities and MHQ in terms of functional capabilities. It also indicates that there was a statistically significant difference in sensory, motor, and functional abilities of the hand that were decreased in patients compared with the control group.