Pain, hand function, activity performance and apprehensiveness, in patients with surgically treated distal radius fractures.

Distal radius fracture (DRF) is a common injury, affecting both function and activity performance. Postoperative rehabilitation is an essential part of the treatment of a surgically treated DRF. The study aims were to assess pain, hand function, activity performance and apprehensiveness and their association, during the first three months after a surgically treated DRF. Eighty-eight patients with a DRF were assessed for pain, hand function, activity performance and apprehensiveness three days and two, six and 12 weeks after surgery. The results indicated that pain, range of motion (ROM), grip strength, apprehensiveness, and activity performance (PRWE) improved significantly between follow-ups (p < .001-.01). Apprehensiveness correlated moderately with activity performance on all visits (0.40-0.47, p < .01), which implies a correlation between the variables, but the regression model showed that the differences in the PRWE at twelve weeks cannot be explained by the differences in apprehensiveness or range of motion at cast removal. At 12 weeks, the study participants had regained almost 70% of their grip strength and 74-96% of the ROM of the uninjured hand.The study shows that, during the study period, the participants improved in both pain, hand function and activity performance, and indicates that a simple question on apprehensiveness in terms of using the injured hand in daily life could be an important factor in distal radius fracture rehabilitation.

Outcomes of reconstructive hand surgery in patients with tetraplegia and neuropathic pain.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of preoperative neuropathic pain on outcome and postoperative compliance after grip reconstructive surgery in people with tetraplegia. SETTING: Specialized tetraplegia upper-limb surgery center in Sweden. METHODS: All patients who underwent grip reconstructive surgery and attended a 6 month follow up during January 2012 and May 2015 were included. Participants were divided into two groups, pain group and no pain group, based on preoperative rating of experienced pain on a visual analog scale. The main outcome measures were grip strength, grasp ability (Grasp and Release Test) and prioritized activity outcome (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure) together with compliance to the rehabilitation plan. RESULTS: The study include 37 patients (86% of the cohort). Seventeen patients experienced preoperative pain (46%). There were no differences in outcome between the pain- and the no pain group regarding grip strength (5 vs. 4.6 kg), grip ability or activity performance and satisfaction (COPM improvement of 3.1 vs. 3.0 for performance and 3.6 for both groups in satisfaction). Both groups experienced improvements in all aspects and there were no differences in the ability to fulfill postoperative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with tetraplegia and preoperative neuropathic pain in the arm/hand improve after grip reconstructions in a similar way to those without pain. Patients with neuropathic pain therefore should be considered as surgery candidates to the same extent as those without pain.

Essential gains and health after upper-limb tetraplegia surgery identified by the International classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF).

STUDY DESIGN: A questionnaire-based survey. OBJECTIVES: To describe functional gains and health following upper-limb tetraplegia surgery using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a reference and to explore interconnections across different dimensions of functioning and health. SETTING: A specialized center for advanced reconstruction of extremities at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. METHODS: Fifty-seven individuals who participated in a satisfaction survey were included in the present study. Besides questions concerned with the respondents' satisfaction with different aspects of surgery, the measures included perceived overall health status (EQ-VAS) and achieved grip strength. Univariate analyses were used to explore interconnections between measures. RESULTS: The gains could be subcategorized and linked to the ICF domains 'mobility', 'self-care', 'communication', 'domestic life', and 'community, social and civic life', with 'handling objects' and 'maneuvering a wheelchair' as the most frequently reported gains. The mean EQ-VAS score was 67±22. No significant correlation was shown between grip strength and activity gains, nor between grip strength and perceived overall health. The degree of satisfaction was, however, associated with self-reported overall health among participants. CONCLUSION: The functional gains achieved after tetraplegia surgery could be applied to the ICF constructs' body functions/structures and activity with possible implications on participation. The overall health perception was relatively high and could be linked to the degree of satisfaction among participants. Muscle strength is not necessarily transferable to activity performance. This emphasizes the importance of addressing factors other than strength in the post-surgical rehabilitation and assessments.

Satisfaction with upper limb reconstructive surgery in individuals with tetraplegia: the development and reliability of a Swedish self-reported satisfaction questionnaire.

STUDY DESIGN: A questionnaire-based survey. OBJECTIVES: To assess satisfaction after upper limb reconstructive surgery in individuals with tetraplegia and to determine the reliability of a Swedish satisfaction questionnaire. SETTING: A center for advanced reconstruction of extremities, Gothenburg, Sweden. METHODS: Seventy-eight individuals with tetraplegia were invited to participate in the survey assessing satisfaction with the result of surgery across various domains. Measures of reliability included stability and internal consistency of domains consisting questions regarding global satisfaction, activities and occupation/schooling. RESULTS: Fifty-eight individuals (76%) participated, among whom 47 (82%) completed the questionnaire twice for repeatability assessment. The responses in the domains relating to global satisfaction, activities and occupation/schooling were positive in 83%, 72% and 31% of participants, respectively. Ninety-five percent felt they had benefited from the surgery, and 86% felt that the surgery had made a positive impact on their life. The psychometric testing indicated that the questionnaire yields scores that are reliable by both test-retest and internal consistency, with the exception of the domain occupation/schooling that had a high prevalence of missing and neutral responses and seemingly represents separate and distinct entities. CONCLUSION: Surgical rehabilitation of the upper limb in tetraplegia is highly beneficial and rewarding from a patient perspective, leading to satisfactory gains in activities of daily living as well as enhanced quality of life. The questionnaire is a reliable instrument for measuring satisfaction after surgery. However, occupationally and educationally related aspects of the surgical outcome should constitute separate domains, and further modifications of the questionnaire are thus recommended.

Satisfaction and performance in patient selected goals after grip reconstruction in tetraplegia.

Reconstruction of grip in tetraplegia aims to improve upper extremity performance and control in daily life. We evaluated the effects of surgery and rehabilitation on performance and satisfaction of patient identified activity goals in 20 patients (22 arms) who had grip reconstructions for both finger and thumb flexion. Patients assessed an improvement in both performance and satisfaction after surgery in all groups of activities assessed using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). The mean improvement at 6 and 12 months was 3.5 points better than the 2.5 points before surgery. Before surgery 36% of the goals identified were impossible to perform. After surgery, 78% of these goals were possible. The largest improvement was observed in the basic activity of 'eating' but significant improvement was also noted in activities generally regarded as complex and not measured in standard ADL such as 'doing housework' and taking part in 'leisure'.