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Background: Distal radius fracture (DRF) often causes reduced ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). There is a need for recurrent evaluation of the ability to perform ADL in the early stage of rehabilitation as a complement to traditional functional measures. Aim: Develop a short and simple performance test for use in clinical practice through modification of the Sollerman Grip Function Test (GFT). Method: DRF patients and controls performed the GFT. The tasks that discriminated patients from controls were calculated for sensitivity to change and correlated to the QuickDASH questionnaire at three subsequent occasions. Interrater reliability was tested. Results: Twelve GFT tasks discriminated DRF patients from healthy controls. One task was excluded due to heavy load. Remaining 11 tasks were all sensitive to change. Four tasks with correlation to the QuickDASH and representing the grip types most frequently used in ADL came to constitute the Wrist Performance Test (WPT). A test-retest showed satisfactory interrater reliability (rs = 0.87). Conclusion: A short performance test was developed through modification of the GFT. It is easy to use in clinical practice to evaluate the rehabilitation process after DRF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the impact on health related quality of life (HRQL) during the first year after minor extremity injury and to determine whether there is a difference in recovery patterns and return to work between upper extremity injuries (UEI) and lower extremity injuries (LEI).Method: A total of 181 adults' age 18 years or older randomly selected from patients admitted to an emergency department with minor injuries were studied. HRQL was measured using the Functional Status Questionnaire (FSQ) at 1-2 weeks, 3, 6, and 12-months post-injury. Pre-injury FSQ scores were measured retrospectively at admission. A quasi-least square (QLS) model was constructed to examine differences of FSQ scores at each measuring point for UEI and LEI.Results: Fractures of the knee/lower leg (25%) were the most frequently injured body area. Slips or falls (57%) and traffic-related events (22%) were the most common injury causes. The mean ISS was 4.2 (SD 0.86). Both groups had significant declines in the FSQ scores physical and social functioning at 1-2 weeks after injury. Patients with UEI made larger improvements in the first 3 months post-injury versus patients with LEI whose improvements extended over the first 6 months. None of the groups reached the pre-injury FSQ scores during the first post-injury year except in the subscale work performance where UEI exceeded the pre-injury scores. At 12 months post-injury, significant lower FSQ scores remained in the LEI group compared to the UEI group in intermediate activities of daily living (p=0.036, d 0.4) and work performance (p=0.004, d 0.7). The return to work at 3 months and 12 months were 76% and 88% for UEI and 58% and 77% for LEI. No significant differences were found between groups in the FSQ scale mental health and social interaction.Conclusions: LEI had the highest impact on HRQL and return to work during the first year which exceeded the consequences of UEI. These findings contribute to the information about the consequences of injury in order to give sufficient prognostic information to patients and different stakeholders. Future investigations should aim to investigate specific minor extremity injuries and identify factors that facilitate recovery and return to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore hand function in patients with sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) using the Sollerman Hand function test, finger range of motion, hand- and pinch strength, and fine motor ability as well as subjective estimate of hand- and grip function. Forty-five outpatients with definite sIBM were investigated using handgrip-, lateral-, and pinch strength, active finger range of motion (AROM), fine motor ability with Purdue Pegboard test, Sollerman Hand function test, and patients' estimated hand- and grip function. The association between these variables were assessed using correlation statistics. A second test occasion was performed in 16 patients in order to investigate the intra-rater reliability. We found that the reduction of hand- and pinch strength was more pronounced (37% right, 31% left hand) than lateral strength (50%) in relation to normal values. AROM was impaired in 25 (56%) in the right and 29 (64%) in the left hand. Fine motor ability was fairly well preserved; mean right/ left 70 and 60% of normal. AROM deficit was found to be present in 50% of patients 7 years after perceived hand weakness. This is important since it was found to impair the usefulness of the different strength measures, while limitations due to AROM deficit were not found regarding the Sollerman and to a lesser extent the Purdue Pegboard tests. Results of the test-retest showed very good reliability. Our results indicate that impairment of hand function is frequent and severe in sIBM patients. Reduction in AROM is frequent, and it is important to identify since it affects the usefulness of handgrip measurements, and further that may be treatable. Several different tests are probably needed in order to describe the patients' limitations and to capture changes over time. Compensatory strategies when gripping test items is a problem especially in patients with AROM deficits. Research on validity and reliability of these tests in sIBM patients are lacking. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]