Authors (including presenting author) :
Ngan GYK (1), CHEUNG MCT (1), TO WKR (1), MAK MYM (1)
Affiliation :
Physiotherapy Department, Tuen Mun Hospital
Introduction :
Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorder are common conditions in the general adult’s population which usually affect the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, or hand. Chronic upper limb conditions are usually caused by overloaded and repetitive movement and the symptoms from the disorder largely affected the Quality of Life of patient significantly. This study is used to evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy services provided in the Outpatient Physiotherapy Department of the Tuen Mun Hospital to Chronic Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorder.
Objectives :
To evaluate the outcomes on the physiotherapy service to patients with Chronic Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorders: trigger finger / De-quervain / tennis elbow / golfer’s elbow through retrospective data analysis by Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS).
Methodology :
This was a retrospective study. Patients who were referred to physiotherapy service for chronic musculoskeletal disorder since April 2020 and discharged after completing a course of training were recruited for data analysis. The outcome measures were: (1) Numeric Global Rate of Change Scale (NGRCS) (2) Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) (3) Quick form of The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH). Paired T-test was used to compare pre and post treatment data of outcomes 1,2 and 3.
Result & Outcome :
From April 2020 to March 2021, 212 subjects with completed training were included for data analysis. The mean number of treatment sessions was 9.9. Paired T-test showed significant improvement in composite score of NGRCS (from mean of 0.79 ± 0.54 to 6.20 ± 2.47 with P < 0.001), Numeric Pain Rating Scale (from mean of 5.36 ± 2.0 to 2.24 ± 1.9 with P< 0.001) and QuickDASH (from mean of 37.4 ± 18.0 to 21.2 ± 15.2 with P < 0.001). The comparison of pre and post training result in all three outcomes were significant with P< 0.001. Our study showed that the current physiotherapy services provided to Chronic Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorder by physiotherapists was effective in improving the wellness, reducing symptoms severity, and lowering the disabilities level of our patients.
