Assessment of the functional limitations caused by musculoskeletal disorders in the upper extremities, using the QuickDASH questionnaire
Keywords:
carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal diseases, QuikDASH, disability, occupational diseases.Abstract
Objective: to compare the disability and its evolution in patients with the carpal tunnel syndrome with those who show other musculoskeletal disorders in the upper extremities.
Materials and methods: longitudinal descriptive study. Two hundred forty-seven patients were included with an electrophysiological study under suspicion of carpal tunnel syndrome. The QuickDASH questionnaire, Disability/Symptoms module and Working module were applied. Three groups were made: 1. Only Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. 2. Other musculoskeletal disorders with a normal electrophysiological study and 3. Carpal tunnel syndrome more musculoskeletal disorders. Each group got the QuickDASH score calculated. Seventy-two of the patients were monitored for a year.
Results: groups 2 and 3 showed scores significantly higher in the Disability/Symptoms module and the Working module (p=0,007; p=0,000). The Disability/Symptoms module and Working module scores in patients with professional disease were significantly higher than in patients with common origin pathology (p=0,000; p=0,000). The group of professional origin showed disability scores higher in patients of group 3,
in the two modules (p=0,065; p=0,004). The year monitoring reported a favorable evolution in group 1.
Conclusions: patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, have less disability and pain and better outcome than those with other upper limb musculoskeletal disorder (tenosynovitis, epicondylitis or shoulder tendinitis) associated or not with the first. Patients with pathologies of professional origin refer a major disability percentage than patients with pathology of common origin.
Author Biographies
Julio E. Reyes Ortega, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Fundación Cardioinfantil Instituto de Cardiología.
Jorge Díaz Ruiz, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Fernando Ortiz Corredor, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
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