Scar Mobilization Improves Scars and Quality of Life in Burned Children.

May 5, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of the Scar Tissue Mobilization on Scar Thickness, Pliability and Quality of Life in Children With Upper Extremity Burns.

This quasi-experimental study evaluates the effect of scar tissue mobilization on scar thickness, pliability, and quality of life in children with upper extremity burns. Conducted at Mayo Hospital Lahore, children aged 8-13 will receive treatment for 5 weeks, with outcomes analyzed using SPSS 27.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Burn injuries, especially to the upper extremities, are common in children and can lead to hypertrophic scarring, resulting in pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. These complications significantly impact a child's ability to perform daily activities and affect overall quality of life and development. Rehabilitation plays a vital role in recovery, with scar tissue mobilization being a key intervention to improve scar flexibility and function. While commonly used, there is limited evidence on its specific effects in pediatric upper limb burns. This study aims to assess the impact of scar tissue mobilization on scar thickness, pliability and quality of life in children with upper extremity burns.

The study design will be Quasi experimental study. The data will be collected from mayo hospital, Lahore. The study will be completed in 10 months after the approval of synopsis. Children aged 8 to 13 years old will be included in this study and each patient will receive the same intervention. The participants will receive scar tissue mobilization intervention for 15 minutes twice a week for 5 weeks. Participants fulfilling the eligibility criteria will be asked to assign the consent form before entering into the study. The scar thickness and pliability will be measure from the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and quality of life with Brisbane Scar Impact Profile (BBSIP). The synopsis will be presented to Research Ethical Committee of Riphah International University, Lahore for ethical approval to conduct this study. Data will be analyzed through SPSS 27.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

15

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 8-13 years
  • Stable scar and referred for scar management
  • Affected upper extremity joints (shoulder, elbow and wrist) with burned injuries
  • Partial thickness and full thickness burn.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pre-existing skin condition or allergies
  • Neurological disorders affecting motor function
  • Fracture with burn in upper limbs
  • Patient with only superficial burns

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Scar Tissue Mobilization on Scars and Quality of Life in Pediatric Upper Extremity Burns
Patients received 15-minute massage sessions twice weekly for 5 weeks by the same therapist. Techniques included moderate-pressure strokes around wounds.
Other: Scar tissue mobilization
15-minute massage twice weekly for 5 weeks using baby oil by the same therapist. Included moderate-pressure strokes, finger pressing, circular movements, skin rolling, and finishing gliding strokes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
vancouver scar scale
Time Frame: Baseline, 5 week
The Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) is a widely used semi-quantitative tool for scar assessment that evaluates four parameters: vascularity, pigmentation, pliability, and height/thickness. It has a total score range of 0-13/14, where 0 indicates normal skin and higher scores represent more severe scarring, including thick scars and contractures.
Baseline, 5 week
Brisbane burn scar impact profile (BBSIP)
Time Frame: Baseline, 5 week
A 40-item scale assessing children's quality of life across domains such as daily activities, hand function, appearance, psychological status, social relationships, and school activities. Items are scored from 0 (not at all) to 4 (a lot), with total scores classified as good (40-80), fair (80-100), and poor (>100). A 58-item burn scar-specific HRQoL self-report tool covering 10 domains including sensory, mobility, daily living, social interaction, appearance, and emotional reactions. Items use dichotomous, 11-point, or 5-point Likert scales; scores are calculated per domain, with lower scores indicating better quality of life.
Baseline, 5 week

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Areej Saher, MS-PT, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 14, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 5, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/RCR&AHS/24/Areej Saher

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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