Is Therapy Needed After Distal Radius Fracture Treatment, What Is the Evidence?

Abstract

The role of hand therapy in management of distal radius fractures remains unclear. Some evidence demonstrates that initiating early range of motion and urging patients to return to routine activities of daily living as soon as possible may produce favorable outcomes that are as effective as formal supervised therapy. Extended supervised therapy does not appear to impact outcomes and a single instruction session with a home-based program produces similar results. Although we feel that formal structured therapy may have a role in select high-risk patients, the literature remains unclear on which patients would benefit most from formal supervised therapy.