Temporal Changes in Finger and Upper Limb Usage During Hospitalization After Distal Radius Fracture Surgery: A Case Report

TL;DR

This case report shows how finger and upper limb usage change during recovery from wrist surgery, using wearable devices to track real-life activity.

Contribution

The study introduces wearable device monitoring to objectively assess upper limb usage during hospital recovery after wrist surgery.

Findings

Finger and upper limb usage increased during the mid-postoperative period.

Improvements in usage coincided with reduced swelling and better patient-reported wrist scores.

Range of motion and grip function improved earlier than actual limb usage.

Abstract

Recovery after distal radius fracture surgery is commonly evaluated using physical function measures; however, actual upper limb use in daily life may not be fully captured by these assessments. In this case report, a postoperative distal radius fracture patient was monitored during hospitalization using a ring-shaped wearable device to quantitatively assess finger and upper limb usage, together with patient-reported outcomes and physical function measures. Finger and upper limb usage ratios increased during the mid-postoperative period, accompanied by reductions in swelling and improvements in the Japanese version of the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation scores, whereas improvements in range of motion and grip-related function occurred earlier in the postoperative course. This case describes the temporal relationship between physical function, symptoms, and objectively measured upper limb usage during hospitalization, and shows that changes in actual upper limb usage occurred concurrently with reductions in swelling and pain.

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