The relative motion concept in acute and chronic boutonniere deformity: Invited commentary.

Study Design: Retrospective.

Introduction: Boutonniere deformity (BD) is a troublesome injury occurring from rupture of tissue connecting the extrinsic to intrinsic tendon systems. This causes loss of interphalangeal joint balance, and immobilization often results in adherence and difficulty restoring balance.

Purposes: Review of relative motion flexion (RMF) orthotic use for safe healing during functional activity in 23 patients, and explanation of the rationale.

Methods: Anatomic rationale and clinical experience is reviewed in 8 acute BD patients utilizing RMF orthoses for 6 weeks, and for chronic BD patients, 3 months after serial casting.

Results: All patients met the Strickland and Steichen criteria for "excellent" results following treatment, with an average of 35° increase in ROM.

Discussion: The anatomic rationale for relative motion recognizes that altering relative positioning between adjacent metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints produces a protective favorable impact on interphalangeal forces during hand function using 15°-20° greater MCP joint flexion. This provides dorsal and volar protective benefits because the extensor digitorum communis (EDC), a single-muscle-four-tendon system, attaches to the intrinsic lateral band (LB) tendons. With greater MCP flexion, dorsal EDC force is increased, pulling lateral bands medially, while on the volar surface the downward pull of the lumbrical on LB is relaxed due to origin from the flexor digitorum profundus tendon of the injured digit, also a single-muscle-four-tendon system. The RMF orthosis permits protected active motion during functional activity with acute BD. In patients with chronic BD and adequate passive extension, an RMF orthosis for 3 months also produced encouraging results.

Conclusion: Management of acute BD with RMF orthoses provided earlier recovery of motion and hand function. Similar results occurred for chronic BD using serial casting for adequate extension followed by 3 months of RMF orthotic use and should be attempted prior to surgical intervention, with surgery remaining an alternative.