The effect of lower body burns on physical function

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Study assessed how lower-body burn locations affected strength and cardiopulmonary function. Children who participated in an exercise study between 2003 and 2013, were 7-18 years of age, and burned ≥30 percent of their total body surface area were included. Analysis of variance was used to model the relationship of lower-body strength (peak torque per body weight or PTW) and cardiopulmonary function (VO2peak) due to burns which traverse the subject's lower-body joints. Forty-seven patients who had PTW measurements were analyzed. However, only 36 of those patients had VO2peak measurements and could be included in the subsequent analysis. There was a significant relationship between PTW and burns at the hip and toe joints, showing a decrease in peak torque of 26 Newton meters per kilogram (N m/kg) and 33 N m/kg, respectively. Burns at the hip joint corresponded to a significant decrease in VO2peak by 4.9 milliliters per kilogram per minute in peak cardiopulmonary function. Results suggest that physical function and performance are detrimentally affected by burns that traverse specific lower-body joints. The most significant relationship on exercise performance was that of hip-joint burns as it affected both strength and cardiopulmonary measurements. Ultimately, burns at hip and toe joints need to be considered when interpreting exercise test results involving the lower body.

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