The Management of the Severely Injured Hand [Abridged]

Abstract

Too little attention has been paid to the hand in the past. It was common practice for severed tendons and nerves to be dealt with by inexperienced junior staff, often late at night, under unsatisfactory conditions. Small wonder that results of severe hand injuries were bad, and without the interest and encouragement of senior staff rehabilitation was insufficient or even non-existent. However, in recent years, pioneer surgeons in this country, in France, Switzerland and America, have aroused great interest in the problems of tendon and nerve surgery, and in the overall organization of rehabilitation services to ensure the best functional results.

Medical Rehabilitation and Hemiplegia

“…Wynn Parry (1964), in the second Kovacs lecture, discussed 'The Management of the Severely Injured Hand'; this is a masterpiece worth re-reading. Particularly pertinent at present are Kovacs' words quoted by Wynn Parry: 'No fountain can rise above its source and no physica therapy department can render the best possible service unless it is headed by a physician thoroughly familiar with the methods and scope of physical treatment.…”