Baseline Predictors of Pain and Disability One Year following Extra-Articular Distal Radius Fractures

Abstract

Distal radius fractures are common injuries; however, identifying which factors are responsible for predicting outcomes remains an area of controversy. The purpose of this study was to define factors predictive of patient-reported pain and disability at 1 year in a prospective cohort of extra-articular distal radius fractures (n=222). Data were collected at the initial visit and after 3, 6, and 12 months. The primary outcome was the 1-year patientrated wrist evaluation (PRWE) score. The effect of baseline patient and injury characteristics on the 1-year PRWE score was assessed. Univariate and forward stepwise regression analyses both agreed that the most influential predictor of pain and disability at 1 year was injury compensation. The 1-year PRWE score was significantly higher for subjects involved with third-party claims (35.48) compared to those that were not involved in any claims (14.97), p=0.006. The regression model found that three baseline factors -injury compensation, education, and other medical comorbiditiesexplained 16.4% of the variance in PRWE scores at 1 year. No injury characteristic, including the degree of initial fracture displacement, was found to significantly influence the 1-year PRWE score. This study has shown that baseline patient and injury characteristics play a small role in predicting 1-year patient-reported pain and disability in extra-articular distal radius fractures. Conceptual factors outside of this biomedical model should be investigated.

Baseline Pain Intensity Is a Predictor of Chronic Pain in Individuals With Distal Radius Fracture

“…12,19,21 Some studies have postulated that suboptimal radiographic outcomes may be a concern but may not always result in chronic pain or disability. 3,11,16 This implies that some individuals can still expect favorable outcomes despite poor union of the DRF.…”

“…Injury compensation and educational level were found to be highly predictive of chronic pain and MSKD 12,19 and led to difficulty in returning to work 21 following DRF. Our analysis was limited due to unavailability of data related to injury compensation.…”

Ligamentotaxis versus Open Reduction and Internal Fixation for Distal Radius Intra-Articular Fractures

“…The authors reported that the baseline characteristics of the patients and the injuries in extra-articular distal radial fractures had a minor role in predicting the patients likely to develop pain and disability after 1 year [12].…”

Factors Associated with One-Year Outcome after Distal Radial Fracture Treatment

“…7,8 Non-injury factors such as age, injury compensation, education, and comorbidities also affect patient-rated outcome. 9,10 This study aimed to identify factors that affect functional outcome one year after distal radial fracture treatment.…”