hi,

I am an undergraduate student and I am doing an assignment on hand transplantation and physiotherapy. I wonder if you can help me out in this as i am searching for the most important rehabilitaion programme post-operatively.

Joanne

Hi Joanne, I don't think hand transplant has been done anywhere often enough to have any kind of recognised physiotherapy protocol postoperatively. You would have to talk to the unit where they have done the operation.

An option is to choose a less rare operation which the plastic surgeons do more commonly, such as finger reattachment or nerve/tendon repair. They are less glamorous but much more understood and more useful.

A local large hospital will likely have a plastic surgery team involving physios and OTs. They will have protocols written down and might share them with you.

Good luck
Jonathan
www.thephysiotherapysite.co.uk

Are you sure this is not T-bag from prison break? He had a hand transplant and is probably looking for some physiotherapy to get some movement back. If it is T-bag, clever use of a female pseudonym so the cops won't trace it.

Daz.

P.S: But seriously, how often are hand transplants performed? There is no way there would even be a randomised controlled trial, let alone a systematic review and clinical guideline. Good luck finding what you require, you will need it.