[Patient motivation--an essential therapeutic tool].

A deciding factor for the future functioning of a hand with a mutilating hand injury is the self-motivation that the patient brings with him to rehabilitation. This is illustrated in the case of a guitar teacher who returned to his career after subtotal and total finger amputation of his left hand (used for gripping chords). With consistent exercise on his instrument he compensated for the functional deficits of his hand and won a law suit against his employer who denied that he had the physical ability to play the classical guitar. It is more clear than ever that an injured person is jointly responsible, through self-motivation in the working process, for more-or-less complete rehabilitation. It is not uncommon in a system of job-sharing in which several members of the health service (surgeons, physiotherapists, social workers, general practitioners) must co-ordinate their work, for the patient--if he does not involve himself--to fall by the wayside. It is shown how inherent and rewarding it can be to support the patient in his desire to return to work. Apart from that, we hope that this example will be an encouragement to those similarly affected.