Outcome Evaluation of Surgically Treated Proximal Humerus Fractures Using Shoulder Function Index Scoring System

Abstract

Proximal humeral fractures are amongst the most common fractures. Functional recovery is often slow and many people have ongoing disability during activities of daily life. Unidimensional measurement of activity limitations is required to monitor functional progress during rehabilitation. However, current shoulder measures are multidimensional incorporating constructs such as activities, range of motion and pain into a single scale. Psychometric information of these measures is scarce in this population, and indicate measurement issues with reliability. Therefore, the aim was to develop the clinician-observed Shoulder Function Index (SFInX), a unidimensional, interval-level measure of shoulder function based on actual performance of activities, reflecting activity limitations following a proximal humeral fracture.