Fatigue is a frequent complaint of patients suffering a major burn. It is also a key factor in delaying the return to work following a burn injury. Somewhat surprisingly, relative endurance for burn survivors was approximately equal to that of the control group. However, the strength and the absolute endurance of the muscle were deficient in these patients. With no exercise intervention, the strength of these patients did not approach that of the control groups until two years post-burn.
Freedom of movement is the key to the efficiency, precision, and effectiveness of movement.
Flexion and extension contractures are extremely debilitating, as they limit freedom of movement. Positioning of the burned areas is of overwhelming importance in the prevention of contractures, and contractures can develop in as little as two weeks. While ranging activity and positioning of the burned areas have been used to attempt to prevent and reduce contractures, no large-scale, systematic data assessing the efficacy of such interventions in burn patients have been collected. Failing to carry through with the exercise programs prescribed by rehabilitation therapists is a major problem associated burn injury. However, the question of who will stick to an exercise program, and who will not has not been well studied in burn-injured populations.