The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.

SMJ // Article

Original Article

Disability Related to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome May Be Greater Than Related Chronic Hand Conditions

Authors: Gregory Vance, BS, James H. Sikes, MS, Daniel Trussell, MS, Bradley Hathaway, BS, Clay Thames, BS, Evan Bowen, BS, Colton Fernstrum, MD, Mark Dodson, MD, Marc Walker, MD, MBA

Abstract

Objectives: This study used a novel patient disability assessment, the Mississippi Qualitative Hand Pain Questionnaire (MQHPQ), to compare carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) with other hand pain diagnoses (non-CTS) and then to the levels of impairment in the American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (ie, AMA Guides).

Methods: One hundred prospective patients with a chief complaint of hand pain were administered the MQHPQ. Patients were grouped into CTS and non-CTS groups based on diagnosis at the time of their initial visit. Patient-reported disability was then compared with the percentage of total body impairment assigned by the AMA Guides.

Results: Patients with CTS (n = 47) versus non-CTS (n = 53) experienced increased severity (0.64 vs. 0.52, P = 0.024) and greater levels of disability in all questioned activities of daily living. According to the AMA Guides, CTS can cause a range of 0% to 9% total body impairment (median 4.5%). Other participant hand pain diagnoses demonstrated total body disability ranging from 0% to 22% (average of medians 4.57%).

Conclusions: Although the AMA Guides demonstrates similar percentages of impairment for the CTS group and the non-CTS group, patients with CTS who completed the MQHPQ experienced significantly increased disability in all tested activities of daily living and pain severity.
Posted in: Rheumatology and Orthopedics32

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