Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Pain and Hand Function

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Hand Function

Abstract

Pain, which is an unpleasant perception, affects patients’ daily living activities in a unique way. Characteristics of pain, such as duration, severity, location, or style, and components of the patient such as physiologic, perceptual, affective, cognitive, and behavioral play major roles in this regard. Hand pain is one of the strongest parameters for determining hand function. Accurate and comprehensive assessment techniques for specific conditions are necessary to draw an optimal road to achieve an ultimate relief and functional status. There are various assessment tools to evaluate hand pain and/or hand function, and we discussed widely used ones in the text. Negative associations between pain and hand function have been simply demonstrated in the literature, however, have not been analyzed systematically. In this chapter, we provide an extensive and practical analysis of these associations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Howland N, Lopez M, Zhang AY. Pain and hand function. Hand Clin. 2016;32(1):1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Skirven TM, Osterman L, Fedorczyk J, Amadio PC. Rehabilitation of the hand and upper extremity. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Mosby; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Linton SJ, Shaw WS. Impact of psychological factors in the experience of pain. Phys Ther. 2011;91(5):700–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Nicholls EE, van der Windt DA, Jordan JL, Dziedzic KS, Thomas E. Factors associated with the severity and progression of self-reported hand pain and functional difficulty in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review. Musculoskeletal Care. 2012;10(1):51–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Woessner JW, Clark ME, Gironda RJ, Carter S. Perspectives of pain. In: Boswell MV, Cole BE, editors. Weiner’s pain management: a practical guide for clinicians. 7th ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Treede RD, Rief W, Barke A, et al. A classification of chronic pain for ICD-11. Pain. 2015;156(6):1003–7.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. IASP taxonomy. http://www.iasppain.org/Taxonomy#Peripheralneuropathicpain. Accessed 22 June 2015.

  8. Schenk M, Urnauer H, Schug SA, Jaehnichen G, Harper SJ. Pocket guide pain management. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer; 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  9. IASP Terminology. http://www.iasp-pain.org/Education/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=1698#Centralneropathicpain. Accessed 14 Dec 2017.

  10. Boswell MV, Eliot Cole B. Weiner’s pain management: a practical guide for clinicians. 7th ed. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis; 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Phillips K, Clauw DJ. Central pain mechanisms in the rheumatic diseases: future directions. Arthritis Rheum. 2013;65(2):291–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cantero-Tellez R, Martin-Valero R, Cuesta-Vargas A. Effect of muscle strength and pain on hand function in patients with trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis. A cross-sectional study. Reumatol Clin. 2015;11(6):340–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Reyes-Gibby CC, Aday L, Cleeland C. Impact of pain on self-rated health in the community-dwelling older adults. Pain. 2002;95(1–2):75–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Pollard CA. Preliminary validity study of the pain disability index. Percept Mot Skills. 1984;59(3):974.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Haefeli M, Elfering A. Pain assessment. Eur Spine J. 2006;15(Suppl 1):S17–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. WHO. How to use the ICF: a practical manual for using the international classification of functioning, disability and health; 2013. http://www.who.int/classifications/drafticfpracticalmanual.pdf

  17. McCracken LM, Zayfert C, Gross RT. The pain anxiety symptoms scale: development and validation of a scale to measure fear of pain. Pain. 1992;50(1):67–73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Roelofs J, Goubert L, Peters ML, Vlaeyen JW, Crombez G. The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia: further examination of psychometric properties in patients with chronic low back pain and fibromyalgia. Eur J Pain. 2004;8(5):495–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Cleeland CS, Ryan KM. Pain assessment: global use of the brief pain inventory. Ann Acad Med Singap. 1994;23(2):129–38.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kerns RD, Turk DC, Rudy TE. The West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI). Pain. 1985;23(4):345–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Clark ME, Gironda RJ, Young RW. Development and validation of the Pain Outcomes Questionnaire-VA. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2003;40(5):381–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Yu H-L, Strauch B. Terminology for functions and movements of the hand. In: Atlas of hand anatomy and clinical implications. St. Louis: Mobsy; 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Jebsen RH, Taylor N, Trieschmann RB, Trotter MJ, Howard LA. An objective and standardized test of hand function. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1969;50(6):311–9.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Duruoz MT, Poiraudeau S, Fermanian J, et al. Development and validation of a rheumatoid hand functional disability scale that assesses functional handicap. J Rheumatol. 1996;23(7):1167–72.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Sezer N, Yavuzer G, Sivrioglu K, Basaran P, Koseoglu BF. Clinimetric properties of the Duruoz hand index in patients with stroke. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007;88(3):309–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Ng CL, Ho DD, Chow SP. The Moberg pickup test: results of testing with a standard protocol. J Hand Ther. 1999;12(4):309–12.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Backman C, Mackie H. Arthritis hand function test: inter-rater reliability among self-trained raters. Arthritis Care Res. 1995;8(1):10–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Fries JF, Spitz P, Kraines RG, Holman HR. Measurement of patient outcome in arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1980;23(2):137–45.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Sokka T, Kankainen A, Hannonen P. Scores for functional disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are correlated at higher levels with pain scores than with radiographic scores. Arthritis Rheum. 2000;43(2):386–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Dreiser RL, Maheu E, Guillou GB, Caspard H, Grouin JM. Validation of an algofunctional index for osteoarthritis of the hand. Rev Rhum Engl Ed. 1995;62(6 Suppl 1):43S–53S.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Hudak PL, Amadio PC, Bombardier C. Development of an upper extremity outcome measure: the DASH (disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand) [corrected]. The Upper Extremity Collaborative Group (UECG). Am J Ind Med. 1996;29(6):602–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Chung KC, Pillsbury MS, Walters MR, Hayward RA. Reliability and validity testing of the Michigan hand outcomes questionnaire. J Hand Surg Am. 1998;23(4):575–87.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Lee HJ, Paik NJ, Lim JY, Kim KW, Gong HS. The impact of digit-related radiographic osteoarthritis of the hand on grip-strength and upper extremity disability. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2012;470(8):2202–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Bijsterbosch J, Visser W, Kroon HM, et al. Thumb base involvement in symptomatic hand osteoarthritis is associated with more pain and functional disability. Ann Rheum Dis. 2010;69(3):585–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Haara MM, Heliovaara M, Kroger H, et al. Osteoarthritis in the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb. Prevalence and associations with disability and mortality. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2004;86-A(7):1452–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Jones G, Cooley HM, Bellamy N. A cross-sectional study of the association between Heberden's nodes, radiographic osteoarthritis of the hands, grip strength, disability and pain. Osteoarthr Cartil. 2001;9(7):606–11.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. MacDermid JC, Turgeon T, Richards RS, Beadle M, Roth JH. Patient rating of wrist pain and disability: a reliable and valid measurement tool. J Orthop Trauma. 1998;12(8):577–86.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Gulke J, Scholl H, Kapapa T, Geyer T, Mentzel M, Wachter NJ. Simulated Total wrist fusion and its influence on hand grip function. Handchir Mikrochir Plast Chir. 2016;48(5):281–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Baan H, Hoekstra M, Veehof M, Van De Laar M. Ultrasound findings in rheumatoid wrist arthritis highly correlate with function. Disabil Rehabil. 2011;33(9):729–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Braga-Silva J, Roman JA, Padoin AV. Wrist denervation for painful conditions of the wrist. J Hand Surg Am. 2011;36(6):961–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Talsania JS, Kozin SH. Normal digital contribution to grip strength assessed by a computerized digital dynamometer. J Hand Surg Br. 1998;23(2):162–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Zhang Y, Niu J, Kelly-Hayes M, Chaisson CE, Aliabadi P, Felson DT. Prevalence of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis and its impact on functional status among the elderly: the Framingham study. Am J Epidemiol. 2002;156(11):1021–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Barthel HR, Peniston JH, Clark MB, Gold MS, Altman RD. Correlation of pain relief with physical function in hand osteoarthritis: randomized controlled trial post hoc analysis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2010;12(1):R7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. O’Brien VH, McGaha JL. Current practice patterns in conservative thumb CMC joint care: survey results. J Hand Ther. 2014;27(1):14–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Osteras N, Kjeken I, Smedslund G, et al. Exercise for hand osteoarthritis: a Cochrane systematic review. J Rheumatol. 2017;44(12):1850–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Hochberg MC, Altman RD, April KT, et al. American College of Rheumatology 2012 recommendations for the use of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies in osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee. Arthritis Care Res. 2012;64(4):465–74.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Zhang W, Doherty M, Leeb BF, et al. EULAR evidence based recommendations for the management of hand osteoarthritis: report of a task force of the EULAR standing Committee for International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutics (ESCISIT). Ann Rheum Dis. 2007;66(3):377–88.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Felson DT, Anderson JJ, Boers M, et al. The American College of Rheumatology preliminary core set of disease activity measures for rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials. The Committee on Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials. Arthritis Rheum. 1993;36(6):729–40.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Bartlett SJ, Hewlett S, Bingham CO 3rd, et al. Identifying core domains to assess flare in rheumatoid arthritis: an OMERACT international patient and provider combined Delphi consensus. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012;71(11):1855–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Hakkinen A, Kautiainen H, Hannonen P, Ylinen J, Arkela-Kautiainen M, Sokka T. Pain and joint mobility explain individual subdimensions of the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) disability index in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005;64(1):59–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Lee S, Mendelsohn A, Sarnes E. The burden of psoriatic arthritis: a literature review from a global health systems perspective. Pharmacol Ther. 2010;35(12):680–9.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Rannou F, Poiraudeau S, Berezne A, et al. Assessing disability and quality of life in systemic sclerosis: construct validities of the Cochin Hand Function Scale, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Systemic Sclerosis HAQ, and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;57(1):94–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Brower LM, Poole JL. Reliability and validity of the Duruoz Hand Index in persons with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Arthritis Rheum. 2004;51(5):805–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Mouthon L, Carpentier PH, Lok C, et al. Ischemic digital ulcers affect hand disability and pain in systemic sclerosis. J Rheumatol. 2014;41(7):1317–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. IASP. Classification of chronic pain, local syndromes of the upper limbs and relatively generalized syndromes of the upper and lower limbs. 2nd ed.. 2018. https://www.iasp-pain.org/PublicationsNews/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=1673

  56. LAc VD. Trigger point therapy for repetitive strain injury: your self-treatment workbook for elbow, lower arm, wrist, & hand pain. 1st ed. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  57. Peters F, Vranceanu AM, Elbon M, Ring D. Ganglions of the hand and wrist: determinants of treatment choice. J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2013;38(2):151–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Irnich D. Myofascial trigger points comprehensive diagnosis and treatment. 1st ed. Edinburgh: Elsevier; 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  59. Devulder J, van Suijlekom H, van Dongen R, et al. 25. Ischemic pain in the extremities and Raynaud’s phenomenon. Pain Pract. 2011;11(5):483–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. Moseley GL, Herbert RD, Parsons T, Lucas S, Van Hilten JJ, Marinus J. Intense pain soon after wrist fracture strongly predicts who will develop complex regional pain syndrome: prospective cohort study. J Pain. 2014;15(1):16–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Swart E, Nellans K, Rosenwasser M. The effects of pain, supination, and grip strength on patient-rated disability after operatively treated distal radius fractures. J Hand Surg Am. 2012;37(5):957–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Tamburin S, Cacciatori C, Marani S, Zanette G. Pain and motor function in carpal tunnel syndrome: a clinical, neurophysiological and psychophysical study. J Neurol. 2008;255(11):1636–43.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  63. Birch L, Graven-Nielsen T, Christensen H, Arendt-Nielsen L. Experimental muscle pain modulates muscle activity and work performance differently during high and low precision use of a computer mouse. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2000;83(6):492–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Sohn MK, Graven-Nielsen T, Arendt-Nielsen L, Svensson P. Inhibition of motor unit firing during experimental muscle pain in humans. Muscle Nerve. 2000;23(8):1219–26.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  65. Ceceli E, Gumruk S, Okumus M, Kocaoglu S, Goksu H, Karagoz A. Comparison of 2 methods of neuropathic pain assessment in carpal tunnel syndrome and hand functions. Neurosciences (Riyadh). 2018;23(1):23–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Lundborg G, Rosen B. Hand function after nerve repair. Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2007;189(2):207–17.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  67. Harden RN, Oaklander AL, Burton AW, et al. Complex regional pain syndrome: practical diagnostic and treatment guidelines, 4th edition. Pain Med. 2013;14(2):180–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Smart KM, Wand BM, O'Connell NE. Physiotherapy for pain and disability in adults with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) types I and II. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;2:CD010853.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. Bean DJ, Johnson MH, Kydd RR. The outcome of complex regional pain syndrome type 1: a systematic review. J Pain. 2014;15(7):677–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  70. Bean DJ, Johnson MH, Heiss-Dunlop W, Kydd RR. Factors associated with disability and sick leave in early complex regional pain syndrome type-1. Clin J Pain. 2016;32(2):130–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  71. Geertzen JH, Dijkstra PU, van Sonderen EL, Groothoff JW, ten Duis HJ, Eisma WH. Relationship between impairments, disability and handicap in reflex sympathetic dystrophy patients: a long-term follow-up study. Clin Rehabil. 1998;12(5):402–12.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  72. de Jong JR, Vlaeyen JW, de Gelder JM, Patijn J. Pain-related fear, perceived harmfulness of activities, and functional limitations in complex regional pain syndrome type I. J Pain. 2011;12(12):1209–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. Bostrom KJ, de Lussanet MH, Weiss T, Puta C, Wagner H. A computational model unifies apparently contradictory findings concerning phantom pain. Sci Rep. 2014;4:5298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  74. Dettmers C, Adler T, Rzanny R, et al. Increased excitability in the primary motor cortex and supplementary motor area in patients with phantom limb pain after upper limb amputation. Neurosci Lett. 2001;307(2):109–12.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rheumatology Division, Marmara University Medical School, Istanbul, Turkey

    Sevtap Acer Kasman & Mehmet Tuncay Duruöz

Authors
  1. Sevtap Acer Kasman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mehmet Tuncay Duruöz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sevtap Acer Kasman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rheumatology Division, Marmara University Medical School, Istanbul, Turkey

    Mehmet Tuncay Duruöz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Kasman, S.A., Duruöz, M.T. (2019). Pain and Hand Function. In: Duruöz, M. (eds) Hand Function. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17000-4_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17000-4_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-16999-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-17000-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation