The Use of Plaster Cylinder Casting for Contracture of the Interphalangeal Joints

:Plaster cylindrical serial casting of interphalangeal joints of fingers began as an idea in the hand rehabilitation center established in the 1960 in vellore, India, by paul brand, MD,. As experienced by brand, the technique is not one of progressive stretching but of growth.the cells of the contracted tissue are stimulated to grow and become internally rearranged or modified by being held in the maximum possible extention.this is why the process takes time and position must be held for a period of time there is no chance for remodeling to take place in an hour or two.each day or every other day the jont can be recasted. In this survey 28 sample with flexion contracture in PIP joint who were refered to Iran hand rehabilitation center were treated by cylindrical casting.in the begening of treatment sample were evaluated by T.A..M, flexion contracture,flexion gap. In one mounth every other day joints were recasted, and bet ween casting wax bath, oil massage and exercise were used for the patients. In re evaluating mean of T.A.M was superior than first evaluation(from 88.51 to 130.18) mean of flexion contracture was decreased (from 37.59 to 8.14), mean of flexion gap was decresed too (from 4.37 to 2.37). Findings show that this method is a usefull method for treating flexion contractures without limiting in range of motion.