Patient versus injury factors as predictors of pain and disability six months after a distal radius fracture

A prospective cohort of 120 patients with distal radius fractures completed a baseline evaluation that determined their age, sex, education level, injury compensation status, AO fracture type, prereduction radial shortening, and postreduction radial shortening. Six months later patients self-reported pain and disability using the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation, and were tested for physical impairment (grip, wrist range of motion, and dexterity). Univariate and forward stepwise regression analyses agreed that the most influential predictor of pain and disability at 6 months was injury compensation. Patient education level and prereduction radial shortening also contributed predictive information (R squared = 25%). Wrist impairment was moderately correlated with patient reported pain and disability (r = 0.50). Both impairment and disability measures are required to fully describe outcomes. Further work is required to delineate additional factors that contribute to outcome.