FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY IN PATIENTS WITH ULNAR NERVE INJURY

Abstract

Painful sensations that occur after peripheral nerve injury are a major problem for patients. They occur most often in the acute phase of muscle denervation (denervation pain) or in the early phase of the regeneration process (regenerative pain). The pathophysiology of these painful conditions is complex and results in difficult differentiation of different types of painful conditions that are of crucial importance for the selection of an appropriate therapeutic approach. The place, the degree of the injury, the age of the patient, as well as the delay in starting the treatment significantly affect the outcome of the rehabilitation of injuries of the ulnar nerve. Ulnar nerve rehabilitation in elderly patients, high-level injuries, and delayed cases may result in a poor prognosis. For high-level lesions and lesions that are close to the elbow, the nerve transposition treatment is used. Immobilization in wrist flexion and/or elbow extension with carpal tunnel and release of Guyon's canal are necessary for lesions closer to the wrist. Cubital tunnel syndrome is the second most common compression syndrome of the upper extremities, after carpal tunnel syndrome. The type and severity of nerve injury determines the extent of pathological changes, the capacity for regeneration and the prognosis for recovery. The aim of the study is to shorten the duration of the rehabilitation process and increase the functionality of the affected limb by timely recognizing the symptoms and starting the rehabilitation treatment of the patients, so that the patient would return completely to the activities of everyday life. Material and methods: The study included 10 subjects (5 male subjects and 5 female subjects) in whom the ulnar nerve was diagnosed during the examination. They are treated at the Public Health Institucion University Clinic for physical medicine and rehabilitation in Skopje, for a period of 20 working days. The effect of the conducted physical and kinesitherapy procedures is evaluated. The following were used during the treatment: paraffin therapy, electrical stimulation, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, galvanic current, diadynamic currents, kinesitherapeutic exercises (pastoral and actively assisted). Due to the number of studies, it is challenging to make a definitive recommendation before conducting research with a larger number of respondents.