Early Sensory Re-education of the Hand With a Sensor Glove Model

Cortical and Functional Responses to an Early Protocol of Sensory Re-education of the Hand Using Audio-tactile Interaction

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistência do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo

The implementation of early sensory re-education (SR) techniques, aimed to preserve the cortical hand area, such as the use of audio-tactile interaction, becomes an important strategy to obtain also a better sensory function. The aim of this study was to investigate sensory function outcomes (threshold monofilaments, two-point discrimination test, STI and DASH) and cortical responses (fMRI) in patients submitted to an early protocol of SR of the hand with a sensor glove model. After surgical repair of median and/or ulnar nerves, 17 participants were divided into two groups: the training group, trained on the protocol with the sensor glove model, and the control group, untrained. After six-month follow-up, no difference was observed between groups, related to sensory function, especially tactile gnosis. Despite this, the early training with this sensor glove model seems to provide some type of cortical audio-tactile interaction, contributing to previous studies that focus in early SR of the hand using the integration of different sensory modalities.

Early sensory re-education of the hand protocol with a sensor glove model, after a median and/or ulnar nerve injury repair

Conventional rehabilitation for peripheral nerve injuries if the hand, without application of any kind of early sensory re-education protocol

Training Group patients were submitted to application of a three-month protocol for early sensory re-education of the hand using the sensor glove model developed by Mendes et al. (2011). Patients also received conventional physical therapy for this type of injury in a specialized hand therapy center in a university hospital. Control Group patients received only conventional physical therapy treatment. No home sensory re-education program was established for any group and the CG patients were not submitted to any protocol for early sensory re-education of the hand.

Tactile Gnosis was assessed by Two-point discrimination and Shape and Texture Identification Test at first, third and sixth month post-operative

Self-report function was assessed by DASH questionnaire at first, third and sixth month post-operative

Inclusion Criteria: - Injury of the ulnar and/or median nerves at the wrist or distal forearm level surgically repaired Exclusion Criteria: Neurological diseases Systemic diseases, which affected either directly or indirectly the central or peripheral nervous system Extensive traumas in the upper limbs