Measures of upper limb function for people with neck pain. A systematic review of measurement and practical properties

Abstract

There is a strong relationship between neck pain (NP) and upper limb disability (ULD). Optimal management of NP should incorporate upper limb rehabilitation and therefore include the use of an ULD measure in the assessment and management process. Clear guidance regarding the suitability of available measures does not exist. The aim of this study was to identify all available measures of ULD for populations with NP, critically evaluate their measurement properties and finally recommend a list of suitable measures. This two-phase systematic review is reported in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Phase one identified clearly reproducible measures of ULD for patients with NP. Phase two identified evidence of their measurement properties. In total, 11 papers evaluating the measurement properties of five instruments were included in this review. The instruments identified were the DASH questionnaire, the QuickDASH questionnaire, the NULI questionnaire, the SFA and the SAMP test. There was limited positive evidence of validity of the DASH, QuickDASH, NULI, SFA and SAMP. There was limited positive evidence of reliability of the NULI, SFA and SAMP. There was unknown evidence of responsiveness of the DASH and QuickDASH. Although all measures are supported by a limited amount of low quality evidence, the DASH, QuickDASH, NULI questionnaires, and the SAMP test are promising measures, but they require further robust evaluation.

Profiling and Association over Time between Disability and Pain Features in Patients with Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Longitudinal Study

“…The QuickDASH is a shortened version of the DASH questionnaire and assesses upper extremity disability in individuals with neck pain [ 36 , 37 ]. Instead of 30 items, the QuickDASH includes 11 items that measure physical function and symptoms.…”

Cognition and Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease

“…In the PD, the frequency of functional problems in the upper extremity, which encompasses the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers and is a complex structure, is reported to be 70% (Alreni et al 2017). Moreover, impairments in physical functions related to the upper extremities are observed due to symptoms such as bradykinesia, tremor, and rigidity.…”

“…Accordingly, impairments of functions in upper extremities are likely to occur (Mak et al 2015, Kalkan et al 2020. From another perspective, due to impairment of such functions, the socioeconomic burden of both the patient and the society increases and accordingly, in turn, the QoL decreases (Alreni et al 2017). Skill is situated within the realm of upper extremity functions.…”

Convergent Validity and Test-Retest Reliability of the Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain

“…There may be a loss of strength and endurance in the UE muscles, and patients may have trouble executing UE movements and functions (McLean et al, 2011). A deconditioning effect may lead to decreased strength and endurance of the neck/UE muscles and even cardiovascular capacity (Alreni et al, 2017). In recent years, several investigators have recommended routinely evaluating cardiorespiratory fitness levels in both the general population and specific disease groups (Lang et al, 2018;Yalcinkaya et al, 2017).…”

“…This test has been used with healthy individuals (Lima et al, 2018), elderly people (Fulton et al, 2009), and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA; Cetin et al, 2019), and it has been particularly recommended for use with patient groups that have UE disabilities (Lima et al, 2018). Although various methods with poor psychometric support have been used in the past to evaluate UE functions of patients with CNP (Alreni et al, 2017), to the best of our knowledge, no specific method for this purpose has emerged. Since we hypothesized that the UULEX might prove to be valid and reliable for this patient group, our aim in this study was to examine the convergent validity and test-retest reliability of the UULEX among patients with CNP.…”