Introduction: The management of posttraumatic stiffness of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints is common in hand therapy. Many processing devices have a localized effect but slightly stimulate motor imagery and cortical pattern. The goal of our study was to evaluate the functional results of vibratory stimulation transcutaneous in treatment of the stiffness of PIP joints. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective and randomized study, within the Hand & Wrist Unit in Meyrin/Geneva during June 2014 and February 2015. The patients were included and randomized in 2 groups: V (with vibrations) and T (control, without vibration). We included monoarticular stiffness PIP and painful visual analogue scale (VAS) > 3. We excluded bone lesions, surgery, median strip extension injury, and cognitive disorders. The rehabilitation protocol was the same in the too groups except an additional time of 10 minutes of vibration for the group V. The evaluation criteria included pain by VAS and range of motion measured with a goniometer. This evaluation was carried out during the first session day 0 to day 21 and day 45. Statistical analysis was performed by the Student test for quantitative variables. The significance level P < .05 was considered significant. Results: Twenty-one patients were included in the study, including 11 in the average V age group of 38.5 years (25-59), and 10 in the T group with mean age of 43.1 years (24-58). During the first 3 weeks of treatment, there was a greater decrease in pain for the V group and the T group, respectively with a median reduction of pain (VAS) of −2.25 and −1.5 (P = .01). The flexion gain was better in the V group than the T group, with a rate of median recovery in flexion 57% and 43%, respectively, (P = .03). The 2 groups were comparable for the recovery of the extension. During the last 3 weeks of the treatment, no significant difference in the range of motion (flexion and extension) was found between the 2 groups. Conclusion: The use of vibratory stimulation transcutaneous achieves better results in terms of pain and bending amplitude gain in stiffness of PIP joint during the first 3 weeks of rehabilitation. However, it has not proved its superiority over conventional treatment in stiffness in extension of PIP joint. The anatomical architecture of the tendon (flat or cylindrical) would play a role in the effectiveness of treatment. The use of vibrations seems to be more effective on the tendons near bones prominences.
