Serial Casting for Upper Extremity Burn Contractures

Should Serial Casting be a "First-resort" Conservative Treatment for Adults With Upper Extremity Burn Contractures?

The use of a splint, serial casting and passive stretching have been described in the literature as conservative interventions to manage joint contractures after burn injury. There is a paucity of literature investigating the effect of serial casting on scar contractures following upper extremity (UE) burn injury in adults and a lack of studies using strong methodological approaches. There are also no studies investigating the effect of casting on hypertrophic scars (HSc) and on self-reported UE function. This study is a longitudinal case series design with a criteria for change on the use of serial casting for the treatment of upper extremity burn contractures. The purpose of this study is to estimate the extent to which range of motion (AROM and PROM), scar characteristics and patient-reported upper-extremity function changes following an individually-tailored serial casting treatment program after switching from one week of usual care and to determine if these changes can be maintained 3 weeks after stopping serial casting, for adult burn survivors who developed an upper-extremity joint contracture greater than 15% normal range of motion within 1-year post-burn. This study will be a longitudinal case series design with a criteria for change. A minimum of 12 participants will be recruited from the "Centre d'expertise pour les victimes de brûlures graves de l'ouest du Québec" (CEVBGOQ) and will undergo one week of "usual care". If the PROM of the joint does not improve after one week of usual care, the participant will start the serial casting process, which will be prescribed by the treating OT. PROM/AROM and scar characteristics will be measured using a revised goniometry protocol that incorporates cutaneokinematics (CKM) principles and precise skin measures (DermaScan C, Cutometer®, Mexameter® and Tewameter®) at baseline, every Monday and Friday of the treatment weeks and 3 weeks after treatment cessation. Self-reported UE function and satisfaction related to scarring will be assessed at baseline and 3 weeks after treatment cessation using the QuickDASH and the patient satisfaction assessment scale (PSAS). Analysis on ROM and scar characteristic will be conducted using a graphical representation with a projected "usual care" regression line to count how many outcomes were over the line once the treatment was introduced. This study will contribute to building evidence for the use of serial casting following UE burn contractures in the adult population.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Burn Contracture of Skin
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Tailored serial casting intercention

Detailed Description

Participants will undergo a tailored intervention based on their needs.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec
    • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2X 1C9
      • Hôpital de réadaptation Villa Médica

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 100 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Burn survivors with >15% loss of PROM of their PIP, MCP, wrist, or elbow in either: flexion, extension, ulnar deviation or radial deviation.

• Fire, flame or scald burn injury

  -≥16 years old

• have provided informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Frostbite, chemical or electrical burn injury
• A premorbid musculoskeletal or neurological disorder that limited their ROM
• Have sustained a neurological injury secondary to the burn injury
• A psychiatric or cognitive disorder that limits their ability to follow the research protocol
• Have been diagnosed with heterotopic ossification
• PROM is contraindicated for any reason
• Do not understand English or French.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Serial casted joint; Tailored serial casting intervention following 1 week of usual care

Other: Tailored serial casting intercention; Every participant will undergo 1 week of usual care for the affected joint according to the OT's prescription (static progressive, dynamic or serial static) combined with stretching, moisturizers, pressure therapy, or thermal modalities. After the one week of splinting, if the PROM of the targeted joint does not improve, the participant will start serial casting (Monday to Friday). Patients will have a cast applied on Monday morning and worn for 24hrs/day or for 48hrs according to the OTs and treating physician's decision (rationale documented).The OT will decide how many weeks the participant will be wearing casts and the rationale to stop this treatment will be documented. When the treatment is stopped, patients will be encouraged to wear a maintenance splint for the following 2 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Passive range of motion changes	PROM measures by goniometer (standard and revised goniometry protocol)	Baseline, Every Monday and Friday of Serial casting intervention weeks (tailored to the patient's needs), 3 weeks post intervention
Active range of motion changes	AROM measures by goniometer (standard and revised goniometry protocol)	Baseline, Every Monday and Friday of Serial casting intervention weeks (tailored to the patient's needs), 3 weeks post intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient reported upper-extremity function changes	Short version of The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH); A higher score indicates a greater level of disability and severity, whereas, lower scores indicates a lower level of disability. The score ranges from 0 (no disability) to 100 (most severe disability).	Baseline, 3 weeks post intervention
Scar patient satisfaction	Patient satisfaction assessment scale (PSAS), A higher score indicates a lower satisfaction towards the scar. The score ranges from 6 (Very satisfied) to60 (Not satisfied at all).	Baseline, 3 weeks post intervention
Skin Thickness Changes	Ultrasound skin measures, mm	Baseline, Every Monday and Friday of Serial casting intervention weeks (tailored to the patient's needs), 3 weeks post intervention
Skin Elasticity Changes	Skin elasticity measures (r0- Cutometer), mm	Baseline, Every Monday and Friday of Serial casting intervention weeks (tailored to the patient's needs), 3 weeks post intervention
Skin Erythema Changes	Erythema index measure by Mexameter, scale values of 0 to 999. The erythema values are individual for each person and depend strongly on the ethnic group. The measurements are generally used to determine changes before and after a treatment.	Baseline, Every Monday and Friday of Serial casting intervention weeks (tailored to the patient's needs), 3 weeks post intervention
Skin Melanin Changes	Melanin index measured by Mexameter	Baseline, Every Monday and Friday of Serial casting intervention weeks (tailored to the patient's needs), 3 weeks post intervention
Trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL)	Trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) measured by Tewameter	Baseline, Every Monday and Friday of Serial casting intervention weeks (tailored to the patient's needs), 3 weeks post intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Bernadette Nedelec, PhD, CRCHUM

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 20, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): September 20, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 14, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 16, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): June 21, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 18, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Burns, Burn Rehabilitation, Serial Casting
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Burns
• Other Study ID Numbers: 22.084

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No