Occupational performance, pain, and global quality of life in women with upper extremity fractures.

To examine pain, occupational performance problems, and quality of life (QoL) and possible associations between these variables, 41 elderly women with acute pain due to a fracture of the upper extremity were assessed with COPM, DASH, validated questions on pain, and a global question on QoL. The participants reported 802 performance problems: 38% within self-care, 52% within productivity, and 10% within leisure. Strength demanding bilateral activities in cleaning, hygiene, and cooking were most frequently reported. The median COPM performance and satisfaction scores were 2.8 and 3.4; the mean DASH score was 44.27. Pain frequency and intensity as well as QoL correlated moderately with the number of performance problems on the COPM. QoL was in general not very reduced and correlated only negligibly with pain. The DASH score correlated moderately with the total number of performance problems on the COPM and with the COPM satisfaction score, and it can be argued that a finding of a low DASH score in elderly women with upper extremity fractures should be followed up by a referral to occupational therapy. Future studies, preferably follow-up studies, are called for to further explore the multiple factors leading to performance problems in women with fractures of the upper extremity and to explore possible associations between activity performance and QoL.