title: Development of Korean Academy of Medical Sciences Guideline for rating physical disability of upper extremity.
abstract: While the lower extremities support the weight and move the body, the upper extremities are essential for the activities of daily living, which require many detailed movements. Therefore, a disability of the upper extremity function should include a limitation of all motions of the joints and sensory loss, which affects the activities. In this study, disabilities of the upper extremities were evaluated according to the following conditions: 1) amputation, 2) joint contracture, 3) diseases of upper extremity, 4) weakness, 5) sensory loss of the finger tips, and 6) vascular and lymphatic diseases. The order of 1) to 6) is the order of major disability and there is no need to evaluate a lower order disability when a higher order one exists in the same joint or a part of the upper extremity. However, some disabilities can be either added or substituted when there are special contributions from multiple disabilities. An upper extremity disability should be evaluated after the completion of treatment and full adaptation when further functional changes are not expected. The dominance of the right or left hand before the disability should not be considered when there is a higher rate of disability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Korea University, Ansan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hee-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jae Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jin Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Si Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.forename: Cheol Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Yoon Kyoo
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Bum Sun
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology; D007723:Korea; D009132:Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology; D016730:Program Development; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*