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The effects of conservative treatments on burn scars: A systematic review.

Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
May 1, 2016
Mieke Anthonissen et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to summarize the available literature on the effects of conservative treatments, including massage therapy, on burn scars in adults.

Results Summary

Massage therapy showed potential positive effects on scar pliability, pain, and pruritus, but the supporting evidence was less robust compared to other treatments like pressure and silicone therapy.

Population

Adults with burn scars

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (4)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Pressure therapy
decrease
scar thickness, redness and pliability
adults with burn scars
clinically relevant improvement
producing clinically relevant improvement
#1
Silicone therapy
decrease
scar thickness, redness and pliability
adults with burn scars
clinically relevant improvement
producing clinically relevant improvement
#2
Massage therapy
increase
scar pliability, pain and pruritus
adults with burn scars
-
could have a positive result
#3
moisturizers and lotions
decrease
itching
adults with burn scars
-
could have an effect
#4
Abstract

A variety of conservative treatments for burn scars are available, but there is no clear consensus on the evidence. The purpose of this study was to summarize the available literature on the effects of conservative treatments of burn scars in adults. RCTs and CCTs were sought in three databases, reference lists of retrieved articles and relevant reviews. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network scoring system was used to assess the quality of the selected studies. Information on the study characteristics, results and interventions was extracted. Twenty-two articles were included into the review and categorized in six topics: 5 on massage therapy, 4 on pressure therapy, 6 on silicone gel application, 3 on combined therapy of pressure and silicone, 3 on hydration and 1 on ultrasound. Pressure and silicone therapy are evidence-based conservative treatments of hypertrophic scar formation after a burn producing clinically relevant improvement of scar thickness, redness and pliability. Massage therapy could have a positive result on scar pliability, pain and pruritus, but with less supporting evidence. The use of moisturizers and lotions could have an effect on itching, but the findings are contradictory. Of all other non-invasive treatments such as splinting, casting, physical activity, exercise and mobilizations no RCTs or CCTs were found.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
BurnsCicatrixCicatrix, HypertrophicCompression BandagesConservative TreatmentHumansMassagePruritusSilicone GelsSkin Cream
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy65/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations74
Citations/Year8.2
Relative Citation Ratio5.31
NIH Percentile93.7%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score1.96
Normalized Score0.61
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