Normative Values of QuickDASH in the Elderly Japanese: a Cohort Survey Randomly Sampled from a Basic Resident Registry.

Background: To determine normative values for the QuickDASH questionnaire in the elderly Japanese population and their associated factors. Methods: Three-hundred and eighty-one residents between 50 and 89 years of age were randomly selected from residents of a town in Japan. All participants completed a QuickDASH questionnaire. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify associated factors. Results: Males and females aged 70-79 and 80-89 showed significantly higher QuickDASH scores than the 50-59 age groups. Females aged 50 to 59 showed significantly higher QuickDASH scores than males aged 50-59. Motion pain or tenderness at the shoulder and side pinch strength showed a significant effect on QuickDASH scores. Conclusions: The mean QuickDASH score was 5.7. As an associated factor for the QuickDASH, aging, female, and shoulder disorders were confirmed.

Association between musculoskeletal function deterioration and locomotive syndrome in the general elderly population: a Japanese cohort survey randomly sampled from a basic resident registry.

BACKGROUND: Locomotive syndrome (LoS) is defined as the loss of mobility due to age-related impairment of motor organs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of LoS, muscular strength and balancing ability, and prevalence of sarcopenia in relation to the presence of LoS according to sex and age groups ranging between 50 and 89 years. METHODS: Male and female participants between the ages of 50-89 were randomly selected in the resident registry of a cooperating town. Calls for participation continued until approximately 50 consenting participants were successfully recruited for each age group and sex. A total of 413 participants (203 male and 210 female) were enrolled for undergoing a LoS risk test and measuring their physical function. Physical function was compared to participants with or without LoS. RESULTS: A total of 312 patients (75.5%) were diagnosed as LoS, of which 144 (46.2%) were male and 168 (53.8%) were female. The severity of LoS for the 312 patients were 210 (67.3%) for stage 1 and 102 (32.7%) for stage 2. The prevalence of LoS in males were 37, 59, 91, and 100% in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s age strata, respectively. The prevalence of LoS in females were 71, 62, 89, and 98% in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s age strata, respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia was significantly higher as the age strata in males grew higher. Knee extension strength was significantly lower for participants in their 50s and females in addition to females in their 60s with LoS. The 31 patients diagnosed as sarcopenia included 29 (93.5%) with LoS, 11 (35.4%) classified as LoS stage 1, and 18 (58.1%) classified as stage 2. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of LoS was high in participants over 70 years of age. In males, the prevalence of sarcopenia was higher as the age strata grew higher. Patients with LoS exhibited lower knee extension strength. We believe that some measures to prevent or improve LoS may require exercise to increase the muscle strength of the lower limbs.

Relationship of Malnutrition During Hospitalization With Functional Recovery and Postdischarge Destination in Elderly Stroke Patients.

AIM: Malnutrition during hospitalization affects the functional recovery and postdischarge destinations of elderly stroke patients. However, insufficient studies exist about nutritional status during hospitalization in the acute stroke phase in this population. This study determined factors of nutritional status changes during hospitalization in elderly patients in the acute phase of stroke, and investigated the relationship between nutritional status changes and improved activities of daily living and postdischarge destination. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included 205 acute-phase stroke patients admitted to Shinshu University Hospital from 2010-2016. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine relationships between nutritional status changes, patient characteristics, and improved activities of daily living. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the postdischarge destination and nutritional status changes. RESULTS: Prevalence of malnutrition was 42% at admission and 76% at discharge. Factors affecting nutritional status changes at admission included Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (ß = -0.35, P < .001) and Barthel Index/feeding (ß = 0.22, P = .002), and factors during hospitalization included age (ß = -0.21, P < .001), ischemic stroke (ß = 0.16, P = .008), and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score (ß = -0.29, P < .001). Significant associations of changes in geriatric nutritional risk index occurred with improved activities of daily living during hospitalization (ß = 0.26, P < .001) and discharge to home (odds ratio = 1.11, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.19, P = .008). CONCLUSION: Many elderly patients in the acute phase of stroke with malnutrition exhibited worsening conditions during hospitalization, which was negatively associated with their activities of daily living abilities and postdischarge destinations. Nutritional status changes and associated factors must be evaluated during hospitalization in this patient population.

Using the Barthel Index to Assess Activities of Daily Living after Musculoskeletal Tumour Surgery: A Single-centre Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current study was to find the factors affecting the activities of daily living, as evaluated by the Barthel Index, at the end of rehabilitation after musculoskeletal tumour surgery. Further, we evaluated whether the Barthel Index correlates with functional scores that are specific to musculoskeletal tumours at final follow-up. METHODS: The activities of daily living of 190 patients who underwent postoperative rehabilitation after surgery to treat musculoskeletal tumours were evaluated at the end of the program using the Barthel Index. Functional evaluation at the time of final follow-up observation was evaluated using the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society Score and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score. RESULTS: The post-rehabilitation Barthel Index was significantly lower in elderly patients aged more than 60 years and in those with malignant tumours and tumours larger than 10 cm. Malignancy and large tumour size were risk factors for a low Barthel Index. There was significant correlation between the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society Score/Toronto Extremity Salvage Score at final functional evaluation and the Barthel Index at the end of rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: The Barthel Index is a simple method to assess the activities of daily living and can potentially predict disease-specific health-related quality of life at final functional evaluation after musculoskeletal tumour surgery.

Functional range of motion in the metacarpophalangeal joints of the hand measured by single axis electric goniometers.

BACKGROUND: The functional range of motion (fROM) of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints during the performance of activities of daily living (ADL) has not yet been established. This study aimed to determine the fROM of all five digits and verify the accuracy and reproducibility of dynamic angle measurement using a single-axis electric goniometer (EG) during ADL movements of the hand. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. In EG suitability testing, we first confirmed the angles of a three-dimensional calibration device 10 times, and then compared EG readings with those determined by tomosynthesis images. Next, we determined the fROM of the MCP joints by evaluating all five digits of the dominant hands of 10 healthy adults performing 16 ADL. Intra-rater reproducibility of MCP joint data during task performance was assessed in two healthy adults. RESULTS: Static measurements of the triangular object showed variance to be within one degree in 39 of 40 trials. Differences between angles measured by the EG and those depicted by radiograph were a range of plus or minus five degrees in 88 of 96 digits. The fROM values for the thumb and index, middle, ring, and little fingers were -7.5 to 35.3, 10.6 to 67.8, 4.0 to 79.9, 3.0 to 83.9, and 2.9-91.4 degrees of flexion, respectively. Flexion angle in the fROM of the index finger was significantly smaller than those of the ring and little fingers. The flexion and extension angles of the thumb were significantly smaller than those of the four ulnar fingers. The intra-rater correlation coefficients of two participants were high at 0.94 and 0.93, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The method adopted in this study exhibited excellent accuracy and reproducibility and was therefore considered suitable for the real-time establishment of fROM flexion-extension angles of the MCP joints for all five digits. Our data are useful as a target arc of motion in the treatment of MCP joint disease or injury.

Postoperative improvement in DASH score, clinical findings, and nerve conduction velocity in patients with cubital tunnel syndrome.

We investigated a recovery pattern in subjective and objective measures among 52 patients with cubital tunnel syndrome after anterior subcutaneous transposition of the ulnar nerve. Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score (primary outcome), numbness score, grip and pinch strength, Semmes-Weinstein (SW) score, static 2-point discrimination (2PD) score, and motor conduction velocity (MCV) stage were examined preoperatively and 1, 3, 6, 12, and ≥24 months postoperatively. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate how each variable improved after surgery. A linear mixed-effects model was used for continuous variables (DASH score, numbness, grip and pinch strength), and a proportional odds model was used for categorical variables (SW and 2PD tests and MCV stages). DASH score significantly improved by 6 months. Significant recovery in numbness and SW test scores occurred at 1 month. Grip and pinch strength, 2PD test scores, and MCV stage improved by 3 months. DASH scores and numbness recovered regardless of age, sex, or disease severity. It was still unclear if both subjective and objective measures improved beyond 1-year postoperatively. These data are helpful for predicting postoperative recovery patterns and tend to be most important for patients prior to surgery.

The effect of vascular pedicle preservation on blood flow and clinical outcome following ulnar nerve transposition.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of a technique to preserve the extrinsic vascular supply to the ulnar nerve after transposition and its effect on blood flow and clinical outcome. METHODS: We included 36 patients with cubital tunnel syndrome. The patients were randomly selected to undergo vascular pedicles-sparing surgery for anterior ulnar nerve transposition (VP group) or nerve transposition and artery ligation (non-VP group). Blood flow to the ulnar nerve was estimated intraoperatively at 3 locations in the cubital tunnel before and after transposition using a laser Doppler flowmeter. Clinical results at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery were also compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The blood flow before ulnar nerve transposition was not significantly different between the groups. Blood flow at all 3 locations after the ulnar nerve transposition was significantly higher in the VP group than in the non-VP group. Blood flow in the non-VP group reduced to values between 28% and 52% from the pre-transposition baseline values. After surgery, no significant differences were observed in the clinical results between the groups, except for the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores at 12 months after surgery, which was greater in the non-VP group. CONCLUSIONS: The procedure of preserving the extrinsic vascular pedicles can prevent compromise of blood flow to the ulnar nerve immediately after nerve transposition. However, this procedure had no correlation to improved recovery of ulnar nerve function after surgery. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic II.