Life has become troublesome - my wrist bothers me around the clock: an interview study relating to daily life with a malunited distal radius fracture.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the everyday life experiences of people suffering from a symptomatic, malunited, distal radius fracture.

METHOD: Qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty respondents, median age 59 [16-85] years. The interviews were subjected to qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS: The result, presented as one main theme with categories and subcategories, describes the impact of the injury. Everyday life was affected in all participants, very much in a few highly valued activities such as sports and work, whenever the hand was used, or even at rest. This study indicates that the injury has an impact on the ability to move around, other parts of the body, sleep, emotions, self-perception and relationships. It also shows that the patients used several strategies to manage the situation.

CONCLUSION: The malunion of a distal radius fracture has a negative impact on a wide range of daily activities, as well as other aspects of daily life. There is a need for information between caregivers and patients, and clear routines, once a malunion has occurred. Implications for rehabilitation The symptomatic malunion of a distal radius fracture should be acknowledged as a complex condition requiring comprehensive interventions Technical equipment, braces and new solutions on practical problems was necessary to manage everyday life and should be a focus of intervention for this patient group The consequences of the injury was not only restricted activity performance but also affected social relationships and emotions Information about fracture healing and how a malunion can occur, as well as information on how much the wrist can be loaded at different time points, is important to reduce anxiety.