fisiología del ejercicio tras una fractura incompleta del tercio distal del radi

The physiology of exercise rehabilitation following an incomplete fracture of the distal third of the radius involves restoration of bone integrity, joint mobility, muscle strength, tendon gliding, and functional dexterity through controlled mechanical loading and neuromuscular activation.

After initial immobilization to allow bone healing, exercise rehabilitation focuses on gradually increasing wrist range of motion (flexion, extension, pronation, supination) to reduce stiffness while preventing disruption of callus formationNICE NG38. This controlled movement promotes tendon gliding and prevents adhesions, facilitating recovery of functional wrist flexion and extension Ríos Rincón et al. 2025.

Simultaneously, resistance exercises enhance muscle activation and recruitment in intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the hand and forearm, leading to improved grip strength, which is a critical marker of hand functional recovery Ríos Rincón et al. 2025. The muscle strengthening occurs via physiological mechanisms including hypertrophy, increased neuromuscular efficiency, and improved motor unit recruitment triggered by repeated specific wrist and hand movements against graded resistance Ríos Rincón et al. 2025.

This rehabilitation also leverages the bone’s adaptive response to mechanical loading—Wolff’s law—where repetitive tensile and compressive forces applied during exercises stimulate osteoblast activity and remodeling in the healing radius, helping restore bone density and microarchitecture (Valderrábano et al., 2024; NG38 NICE NG38).

Neurologically, exercise rehabilitation aids in re-establishing proprioception and coordination by activating sensory and motor pathways, which can be disrupted by the injury or immobilization period (NG211 NICE NG211).

Modern rehabilitation devices, such as the FEPSim, enhance these physiological processes by providing controlled, measurable resistance and movement repetitions that optimize movement dosage and progression, allowing individualized therapy to improve wrist passive flexion and grip strength effectively Ríos Rincón et al. 2025.

Overall, exercise rehabilitation for an incomplete distal radius fracture is a carefully graduated process of mechanical stimulus to bone and soft tissues that promotes structural healing, muscle strengthening, improved joint kinematics, and functional recovery, aligned with multidisciplinary rehabilitation principlesNICE NG38,NICE NG211.