[Upper limb pain and limited mobility in the patients after stroke]

Abstract

Pain in the paretic upper limb is a common complaint in the post-stroke patients. It usually affects shoulder joint and, less frequently, wrist and hand. Pain is usually accompanied by limited mobility of the shoulder and sometimes by swelling of the hand and wrist. The aetiology of these complaints remains unclear. The objective of the study was to evaluate the incidence of pain, limited mobility, swelling and other signs that appear in the paretic limb within the first year after stroke. Forty-five stroke patients treated in the Department of Neurology in 2000 who answered the questionnaire concerning type, localization and intensity of the complaints from paretic upper limb were included. Twenty-six patients (58%) had a painful shoulder, wrist or hand. These complaints concerned women more frequently than men (71% vs. 46%, consecutively), younger patients aged below 55, and those who initially had more severe paresis. Symptoms and signs appeared within first month after stroke in majority of patients, and 70% of patients considered these symptoms very disturbing, significantly deteriorating the dexterity of the paretic limb. Thirty five percent of patients complained of limited mobility in the shoulder joint, 18% had incomplete mobility of fingers in the paretic limb. Twenty two percent of patients had swollen wrist and hand, and 24% had a discoloration and trophic changes of the skin in the paretic hand. Cold intolerance by means of freezing sensation in the affected limb was experienced by 58% of patients. Three patients had complaints both in shoulder and hand, with accompanied swelling, trophic changes and vasomotor disturbances in the hand, what fulfilled criteria for the diagnosis of shoulder-hand syndrome. The results of the study show that upper limb pain and limited mobility are common complications of the stroke. Usually underestimated by family doctors these symptoms and signs cause a significant discomfort for the patients and delay the recovery of the paretic limb.