Table 3.
Disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand questionnaire
| No difficulty | Mild difficulty | Moderate difficulty | Severe difficulty | Unable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients rated their ability to perform the following activities during the last week | ||||||
| 1 | Open a tight or new jar | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | Write | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 3 | Turn a key | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Prepare a meal | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Push open a heavy door | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | Place an object on a shelf above your head | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 7 | Do heavy household chores (e.g., wash walls, wash floors) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 8 | Garden or do yard work | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 9 | Make a bed | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 10 | Carry a shopping bag or briefcase | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 11 | Carry a heavy object (over 10 lbs) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 12 | Change a lightbulb overhead | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 13 | Wash or blow-dry your hair | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 14 | Wash your back | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 15 | Put on a pullover sweater | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 16 | Use a knife to cut food | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 17 | Recreational activities which require little effort (e.g., cardplaying, knitting, etc.) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 18 | Recreational activities in which you take some force or impact through your arm, shoulder or hand (e.g., golf, hammering, tennis, etc.) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 19 | Recreational activities in which you move your arm freely (e.g., playing frisbee, badminton, etc.) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 20 | Manage transportation needs (getting from one place to another) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 21 | Sexual activities | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Not at all | Slightly | Moderately | Quite a bit | Extremely | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | During the past week, to what extent has your arm, shoulder or hand problem interfered with your normal social activities with family, friends, neighbors or groups? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Not limited at all | Slightly limited | Moderately limited | Very limited | Unable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | During the past week, were you limited in your work or other regular daily activities as a result of your arm, shoulder or hand problem? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| None | Mild | Moderate | Severe | Extreme | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients must rate the severity of the following symptoms in the last week | ||||||
| 24 | Arm, shoulder or hand pain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 25 | Arm, shoulder or hand pain when you performed any specific activity | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 26 | Tingling (pins and needles) in your arm, shoulder or hand | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 27 | Weakness in your arm, shoulder or hand | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 28 | Stiffness in your arm, shoulder or hand | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| No difficulty | Mild difficulty | Moderate difficulty | Severe difficulty | So much difficulty that I can’t sleep | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | During the past week, how much difficulty have you had sleeping because of the pain in your arm, shoulder or hand? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Strongly disagree | Disagree | Neither agree nor disagree | Agree | Strongly agree | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | I feel less capable, less confident or less useful because of my arm, shoulder or hand problem | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
DASH disability/symptom score = 
| ||||||
| The DASH score may not be calculated if there are more than three missing items | ||||||
| DASH score | 0–25 | 26–50 | 51–75 | 76–100 | ||
| Rating | Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | ||