A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study of Postpartum Wrist Pain in an Urban Chinese Population: Its Prevalence and Risk Factors

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Wrist pain after childbirth is commonly encountered in clinical practice. Little is known about the prevalence of this musculoskeletal disorder which is important to overall maternal health.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of and risk factors for de novo wrist pain in women after childbirth.

STUDY DESIGN: A pilot cross-sectional survey.

SETTING: A telephone interview was conducted 2 months after childbirth among women who delivered at a tertiary hospital in Hong Kong.

METHODS: The prevalence of de novo wrist pain was recorded; its severity was rated using the numerical rating scale and Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) with pain and functional subscale scores.

RESULTS: In total, 259 women aged 32.8 ± 4.0 years participated; 149 women (57.5%) developed wrist pain after childbirth and 125 (84%) had persistent wrist pain 2 months postpartum. The majority had moderate (43.5%) to severe (21%) wrist pain. Bilateral involvement was common (56.8%), with most of the pain (59.3%) located on the radial side of the wrist. Primiparity was associated with wrist pain development (odds ratio 2.62, 95% confidence interval 1.33 – 5.16, P = 0.01); pain intensity was negatively correlated with the baby’s birth weight (beta = -1.059, P = 0.013). Mean PRWE pain and function scores were 22.8 ± 10.3 and 15.6 ± 10.7, respectively.

LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional survey is prone to volunteer bias, though recent literature indicates that the bias may not substantially affect the internal validity of the study.

CONCLUSIONS: Wrist pain is prevalent after childbirth; future studies may consider looking into its exact pathology, long-term consequences, and overall effect on maternal health.