Performance of prioritized activities is not correlated with functional factors after grip reconstruction in tetraplegia.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the correlation between perceived performance in prioritized activities and physical conditions related to grip reconstruction. DESIGN Retrospective clinical outcome study. PATIENTS Forty-seven individuals with tetraplegia were included in the study. Each participant underwent tendon transfer surgery in the hand between November 2002 and April 2009 and had a complete 1-year follow-up. METHODS Functional characteristics and performance data were collected from our database and medical records. Patients' perceived performances in prioritized activities were recorded using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measurement. Preoperative data included age at surgery, time since injury, severity of injury, sensibility and hand dominance. At 1-year follow-up, grip strength, key pinch strength, finger pulp-to-palm distance, distance between thumb and index finger and wrist flexion were measured. Correlation rank coefficient was used to test the possible relationship between physical data and activity performance. RESULTS There were improvements in both functional factors and in rated performance of prioritized activities after surgery. There was no correlation between performance change and any of the physical functions, the factors known before surgery, or the functional outcome factors. CONCLUSION No correlation exists between a single functional outcome parameter and the patients' perceived performance of their prioritized goals in reconstructive hand surgery in tetraplegia.