The Trapeziometacarpal Arthrosis Symptoms and Disability Questionnaire: Development and Preliminary Validation

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rheumatology
• Hand Surgery
• Musculoskeletal Disorders

Background:

• Trapeziometacarpal (TMC) joint arthrosis assessment often uses general measures.
• These general measures may not accurately distinguish TMC arthrosis from other hand/arm conditions.
• A specific tool is needed to evaluate TMC joint symptoms and disability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and preliminarily validate the Trapeziometacarpal Arthrosis Symptoms and Disability (TASD) questionnaire.
• To create a tool that specifically assesses symptoms and disability at the TMC joint.

Main Methods:

• Developed the TASD questionnaire for patients aged 50+ with TMC arthrosis.
• Utilized principal component analysis for structural validity.
• Assessed internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) and construct validity (convergent, discriminant, known-groups) using Spearman correlations.

Main Results:

• The final TASD has 12 items across two subscales: symptoms (7 items) and disability (5 items).
• The TASD demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency in both patient samples.
• The questionnaire showed good convergent, discriminant, and known-groups validity, correlating well with other measures.

Conclusions:

• The concise TASD questionnaire is a valuable tool for assessing TMC arthrosis-related symptoms and disability.
• It features a simple, self-administered scoring system and is freely available.
• The TASD aids in precise evaluation of thumb base joint conditions.