Abstract
The Upper Extremity Fugl Meyer Assessment (UE-FMA) is the most comprehensive assessment for pinch impairment after stroke. The pinch test of UE-FMA is manually performed by pulling a pincer object away from the patient’s fingers while providing a visual observation that results in a subjective assessment. In this study, an automated data acquisition system that consists of a linear electric actuator applying automatic pulling to the customized pincer object held by the volunteer was developed. The pinch force was measured such that a strain gauge was placed on the pincer object while pulling force was measured using pulling force load cell connected in between the linear electric actuator and customized pincer object. The pincer object’s slip onset was detected using a displacement slip sensor. The mean pinch and pulling force values at the slip onset were 12.17 and 6.25 N for right hands, while mean pinch and pulling force values were 11.67 and 5.92 N for left hands of 50 healthy volunteers, respectively. Based on the paired t-test, there is no significant difference between right and left hands. The automated data acquisition system can objectively apply a pulling force, detect the slip onset, and measure the pinch and pulling forces.
Highlights
Stroke is the first leading cause of long-term disability [1]
Thepinch pinchforce, force,pulling pullingforce, force, Figure and displacement signals were recorded from the customized pinch force load cell, pulling and displacement signals were recorded from the customized pinch force load cell, pulling force force load loadand cell,the and the Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT)
The results indicate that the pinch and pulling force vary among the volunteers at the slip onset, which is expected as each volunteer has a different body size, hand size, and amount of safety margin
Summary
Stroke is the first leading cause of long-term disability [1]. Many daily activities, for example, pinching an object, require dynamic manipulation of the thumb and index finger.Pinch impairment is defined as the inability of the thumb and index finger to produce strength with sufficient magnitude and directional control, leading to object slipping [2]. Stroke is the first leading cause of long-term disability [1]. For example, pinching an object, require dynamic manipulation of the thumb and index finger. Pinch impairment is defined as the inability of the thumb and index finger to produce strength with sufficient magnitude and directional control, leading to object slipping [2]. Several studies showed that the recovery of pinch grip takes a longer time than handgrip, and it requires long-term rehabilitation after stroke [3]. A recent study conducted by Katab et al [4] showed that pinch strength can be used as an alternative assessment to hand strength for assessing muscle strength in patients. Accurate and objective pinch assessment can be achieved via automation of traditional standard assessment systems based on available technology.
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