When the Injury's Healing Process Meets the Needs of a Top-Level Volleyball Player: A Nonconventional Treatment of a Mallet Fracture Reinjury. (February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Checcarelli, Daniele; Zampolini, Mauro; Berloco, Michele; Fusco, Claudia; Özçakar, Levent
• Is Part Of: American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation. Volume 98:Number 2(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-02
• Subjects: Hand Injury -- Extensor Tendon -- Mallet Finger -- Fracture -- Splint; Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Medicine, Physical -- Periodicals; 617.062
• DOI: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000000984
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0894-9115

Abstract

Abstract : Abstract: Managing top-level athlete's recovery after an injury is very complicated because it requires a challenging combination of clinical and social/professional aspects with the need to return as soon as possible to sports play. Herein, we report a top-level volleyball player for whom a finger splint combined with a custom made thermoplastic protection was used for the conservative management of a Mallet fracture reinjury. This way our player continued training and competitions in contrast to conventional rehabilitation protocols, which suggest to avoid new traumas until the healing phase is completed. After 8 wks, we obtained the fracture healing and a complete functional recovery without major medical complications. From our results, we suggest that novel treatment strategies or modification of conventional rehabilitation protocols are worth consideration for the management of high-level sports players' injuries. However, new clinical studies with a larger sample can compare these results with those resulting from both surgical procedures and from immobilization and rest as well. Abstract : Supplemental digital content is available in the text.