Long-term effects of vacuum massage on postburn hypertrophic scar thickness: a single blind randomised controlled study

Abstract

Background. Burn victims develop hypertrophic scar as a progression to burn wound healing. Physical therapy intervention may help, as adjuvant therapy, in solving this problem. Objective. The aim was to study the effectiveness of vacuum therapy on the post burn scar in addition to conventional physical therapy. Design, Setting, and Participants. Randomized, single-blind, superiority, parallel, controlled, clinical trial in patients with hypertrophic scar post-burn in the lower limb, age between 20 and 40 years, selected form Out-Patient Clinic of burn and surgery in the South Valley University Hospitals between October 2017 and May 2018. 48 patients were randomized into either study or control group, using block randomization (study group n=24 and control group n=24). Interventions: conventional physical therapy in form of friction massage and lower limb muscles stretching was conducted for the control group and vacuum treatment in addition to conventional physical therapy was conducted for the study group. Treatment frequency was 3 sessions per week for 4 weeks. Outcomes: assessment of scar thickness using ultrasonography and assessment of scar severity by modified Vancouver Scar Scale (mVSS) were the main outcomes. Results. 42 patients were analysed (study group n = 22 and control group n = 20) with follow up measure after 4 weeks showed significant improvement in scar sickness with 22% and 34% percentage of improvement and 56% and 62% improvement in mVSS within groups control and study groups respectively, with no significant difference between both groups in before or after treatment measures. Conclusion. Adding vacuum therapy to conventional physical therapy treatment program is effective but not superior to the conventional physical therapy intervention alone, in the form of friction massage and stretching, in the treatment of lower limb hyper trophic scar