Burn Contractures
Burn contractures are mature, thick, tight scars formed after sustaining a second or third-degree burn that tightens and contracts, limiting mobility and making it hard for a child to use their affected limb properly.
Open fires are part of life in the countries where CURE serves. Most people cook over an open fire outside the house, and it’s common to find families sleeping around a fire as the night gets cold. Unfortunately, the mixture of open fires and young children sometimes ends with a devastating injury. Children in low-income countries often cannot access the medical care they need to address the burns adequately.
- Eleven million severe burn cases occur globally each year.1
- 95% of those children come from low- and middle-income countries.
1 https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc6260264
If Not Treated
If Not Treated
Without medical intervention, children with untreated burns are more at risk of infection and severe scarring and could lose the ability to use their affected limb entirely.
Children with disabilities often experience stigma and discrimination, leading to poor self-confidence and isolation.
Treatment
Treatment
Plastic surgery is the primary treatment method for burn contractures. Surgeons will cut through the scarred tissue, allowing the joint to straighten for the first time in years, then perform reconstructive procedures to move healthy tissue into the scarred area. Skin grafts are also used. The healing process can vary between patients, requiring multiple bandage changes and wound cleanings to prevent infection. Once the skin graft heals, patients often undergo physical therapy to strengthen their regained mobility.
Before
Children like Jocy rely on the support and generosity of people like you to receive surgery and comprehensive care offered at CURE hospitals.
We treat burn contractures at CURE Children Hospitals in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Philippines, and Zambia.
After
Children like Jocy rely on the support and generosity of people like you to receive surgery and comprehensive care offered at CURE hospitals.
We treat burn contractures at CURE Children Hospitals in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Philippines, and Zambia.
