Highlights
- •Prevalence of concurrent MSCs in patients with hand/forearm injury or condition.
- •The prevalence of concurrent MSCs in elbows, shoulders, and necks was 40% in this population.
- •More than one in four patients developed MSCs after their hand/forearm injury or condition.
- •Clinicians should be aware of the high prevalence of concurrent MSCs.
Abstract
Study design
This is a cross-sectional study among 600 patients.
Introduction
Isolated hand and forearm injuries or conditions are common in the emergency and orthopedic
departments. So far, little is known about whether these patients suffer from concurrent
musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs) besides their hand and forearm complaints. Neglecting
concurrent MSCs in the upper limbs and necks could hamper rehabilitation and prolong
the time taken to return to daily and work-related activities.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of concurrent MSCs in
the elbow, shoulder, and neck after common hand and/or forearm injuries or conditions.
Methods
This study included 600 patients with any type of diagnosis referred to rehabilitation
after hand and/or forearm injuries or conditions. Basic characteristics, diagnoses,
and location of patients' symptoms were collected and analyzed.
Results
The overall prevalence of concurrent MSCs was 40%. Twenty-eight percent of the whole
sample developed concurrent MSCs after the hand and forearm injury or condition. The
gender distribution was 68% women and 32% men. The most common location for complaints
was the shoulder (62%), followed by the elbow (49%), and the neck (32%).
Discussion
The present results suggest that MSCs from the elbows, shoulders, or necks are very
common in patients with hand and/or forearm injuries or conditions.
Conclusion
Clinicians treating patients with isolated hand and forearm injuries or conditions
should be aware of the high prevalence of concurrent MSCs. Future research should
investigate if specific rehabilitation, focusing on concurrent MSCs, may influence
the outcome in this population.
Keywords
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JHT Read for Credit
Quiz: # 792
Record your answers on the Return Answer Form found on the tear-out coupon at the back of this issue or to complete online and use a credit card, go to JHTReadforCredit.com. There is only one best answer for each question.
- # 1.The prevalence of concurrent MSCs was
- a.10%
- b.20%
- c.40%
- d.60%
- a.
- # 2.The occurrence of concurrent MSCs was
- a.more prevalent in females
- b.more prevalent in males
- c.was essentially the same in men and women
- d.was virtually non-existent in football players
- a.
- # 3.The most common region for a concurrent MSC was the
- a.hand
- b.wrist
- c.elbow
- d.shoulder
- a.
- # 4.Inclusion in the study as a patient with concurrent MSC was determined through
- a.a computer model specifically designed for this investigation
- b.a physical examination by the referring physician
- c.an interview of the patient
- d.a committee vote
- a.
- # 5.The authors present data showing that focusing on the concurrent MSC will significantly improve the outcome in most cases of isolated hand injuries
- a.true
- b.false
- a.
When submitting to the HTCC for re-certification, please batch your JHT RFC certificates in groups of 3 or more to get full credit.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 03, 2020
Accepted:
May 2,
2020
Received in revised form:
April 3,
2020
Received:
January 13,
2020
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors did not receive benefits or grants in any form from a commercial portion related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Funding: The work was supported by The Association of Danish Physiotherapists.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Hanley & Belfus, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
