To observe the clinical effect of extracorporeal shock wave in the rehabilitation of postburn claw hand after plastic surgery.

From January 2019 to December 2022, 27 patients (42 affected hands) with postburn claw hand received plastic and rehabilitation treatment at Reconstructive Surgery Department of Shanghai Ninth People′s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The patients were divided into observation group (13 patients, 21 affected hands) and control group (14 patients, 21 affected hands) according to the rehabilitation treatment methods. The control group received routine rehabilitation treatment after plastic surgery, while the observation group received additional extracorporeal shock wave treatment on this basis. Compared the changes in total active motion (TAM) of finger, visual analogue scale (VAS), and activities of daily life (ADL) of hand between two groups before and after 2, 4, and 8 weeks of rehabilitation treatment.

After 2, 4, and 8 weeks of treatment, the TAM of the observation group were higher than those of the control group (t=-9.83, -12.58, -9.32, P<0.05), the VAS scores were lower than those of the control group (t=4.26, 9.54, 9.07, P<0.05), and the ADL scores were higher than those of the control group (t=-7.83, -11.39, -11.40, P<0.05).

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy can significantly reduce the pain associated with routine rehabilitation after postburn claw hand plastic surgery, while increasing the overall range of motion of the finger joints and improving the function of the hand after surgery.