Functional limitations of adults with traumatic brachial plexus injury in the first medical appointment: a cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/Keywords:
Brachial Plexus Neuropathies, Epidemiology, Traffic Accidents, Quality of LifeAbstract
The effective treatment of traumatic brachial
plexus injury (BPI) requires studies evaluating its functional
outcomes. Nevertheless, these studies are scarce, especially
in the Northeastern Brazil. Thus, this cross-sectional study
aimed to identify the main physical and functional limitations
and the quality of life of patients over 18 years of age
diagnosed with traumatic BPI, during their first specialized
consultation. Sociodemographic and clinical information
were recorded, and the outcomes evaluated were: muscle
strength, range of motion (ROM) and pain; functionality
and quality of life assessed by the Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and World Health Organization Quality
of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaires, respectively. There was a
predominance of men (92%) aged 34±10.5 years with total plexus
injury (56%) and motorcycle accident etiology (68%). Most of
the sample lived far from the capital (52%), had neuropathic pain
(87%) and ROM restrictions. The DASH score ranged from 30.8 to
93.3 points and the physical domain was the most affected in the
WHOQOL-BREF. This study points out the young, working age profile
of patients with traumatic BPI and the predominance of physical
and functional deficits, even before the first specialized consultation
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