Orthopaedic textile inserts for pressure treatment of hypertrophic scars

Material selection in orthotic and prosthetic practice directly affects wear comfort, and thus treatment efficacy and adherence. In the pressure therapy of hypertrophic scars, insert materials made of thermoplastic (e.g. Plastazote®) are often placed underneath pressure garments to increase the local pressure for effective scar treatment. However, the currently used insert materials are barely breathable and quite uncomfortable. In this study, spacer fabric is proposed as a potential insert material. The physical properties and compression behaviour of five types of spacer fabrics are evaluated. The pressure delivered by the pressure gloves and spacer fabric inserts onto the hands of 10 subjects are measured. The results show that the spacer fabrics are not only able to provide much lower air resistance (0.05–0.12 kPa s/m) and higher water vapour transmission rate (34.35–102.39 g/h·m2) than Plastazote®, but also produce an interfacial pressure that is comparable to Plastazote® at various locations on the hand dorsum. The results of a 24-week clinical study in which spacer fabric inserts are applied to four hypertrophic scarred hands also support that the inserts are found to be effective in scar treatment by providing good comfort and breathability, and hence pressure treatment acceptance and compliance are increased.