Schuind et al. used custom S-shaped buckle transducers placed intraoperatively to directly measure forces in the FPL, FDP, and FDS tendons of five patients undergoing carpal tunnel release under local anesthesia. The study quantifies tendon forces across passive wrist motion, passive finger motion, active unresisted finger motion, tip pinch, lateral pinch, and grasp — providing empirical data to guide post-repair rehabilitation protocols.
When planning post-repair mobilization after flexor tendon repair, these force thresholds matter: passive motion stays under 1 kgf and is safe for early protocols, but active unresisted motion exceeds 3.5 kgf and pinch can exceed 12 kgf — so active and resistive use must be delayed until repair strength is sufficient to handle those loads.
Schuind et al. used custom S-shaped buckle transducers placed intraoperatively to directly measure forces in the FPL, FDP, and FDS tendons of five patients undergoing carpal tunnel release under local anesthesia. The study quantifies tendon forces across passive wrist motion, passive finger motion, active unresisted finger motion, tip pinch, lateral pinch, and grasp — providing empirical data to guide post-repair rehabilitation protocols.
When planning post-repair mobilization after flexor tendon repair, these force thresholds matter: passive motion stays under 1 kgf and is safe for early protocols, but active unresisted motion exceeds 3.5 kgf and pinch can exceed 12 kgf — so active and resistive use must be delayed until repair strength is sufficient to handle those loads.