title: Late complications of the weight-bearing upper extremity in the paraplegic patient.
abstract: Paraplegic patients rely almost exclusively on their upper extremities for weight-bearing activities such as transfers and wheelchair propulsion. Eighty-four paraplegic patients whose injury level was T2 or below and who were at least one year from spinal cord injury were screened for upper extremity complaints. Fifty-seven (67.8%) had complaints of pain in one or more areas of their upper extremities. The most common complaints were shoulder pain and/or pain relating to carpal tunnel syndrome. Twenty-five (30%) complained of shoulder pain during transfer activities. Symptoms were found to increase with time from injury. As the long-term survival of spinal cord injured patients continues to improve, an increased awareness of the complications of the weight-bearing upper extremity is necessary to keep these patients functioning in society.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rancho Los Amigos Hospital.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gellman
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sie
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Waters
mesh_terms: D001132:Arm; D001835:Body Weight; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D012656:Self-Help Devices / Q000009:adverse effects; D012782:Shoulder; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications; D013997:Time Factors