Abstract
BackgroundWrist movement-related injuries account for a large number of repetitive motion injuries. Remarkably little, if any, empirical data exist to quantify the impact of neuromuscular disorders affecting the wrist or to validate the effectiveness of rehabilitation training programs on wrist functions. The aim of this project was to develop a biomechanical model for quantifying wrist and forearm kinetics during unconstrained movements, to assess its reliability and to determine its sensitivity.MethodsTwenty healthy subjects with no history of upper arm and wrist pain volunteered for the experiment. To evaluate the reliability of the data, we quantified their forearm and wrist kinetics on two different days (minimum and maximum number of days between experimental sessions were 1 and 4 days respectively). To measure forearm and wrist kinetics, an apparatus was built to offer rotational inertia during forearm and wrist movements. An inertial measurement unit was located near the top of the device measuring its angular position along the frontal and sagittal planes. We used a mathematical model to infer forearm and wrist torque. Thereafter, we calculated the product of torque and angular velocity to determine forearm and wrist power.ResultsResults revealed that for 75% of the power and torque measurements the ICC was greater than 0.75 (range: 0.77 – 0.83). Torque and power measurements for adduction movements, however, were less reliable (i.e., ICC of 0.60 and 0.47, respectively) across testing sessions. The biomechanical model was robust to small measurement errors, and the power peaks between the first and second testing session were not different indicating that there was no systematic bias (i.e., motor performance improvement) between testing sessions.ConclusionsThe biomechanical model can be used to assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs, document the progression of athletes or conduct research-oriented testing of maximum forearm and wrist kinetic capacities. Nonetheless, caution should be taken when assessing forearm and wrist power adduction movements. Future studies should aim at defining a set of normative values, for various age groups, for forearm and wrist joint torque and power in healthy individuals.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1743-0003-11-157) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Wrist movement-related injuries account for a large number of repetitive motion injuries
Individuals with upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders that engage in repetitive work often have limited wrist range of motion (ROM), which has been attributed to increased antagonist muscle tension [8]
For each trial, forearm and wrist torque and power were calculated from the kinematics of the inertial device (Figure 2)
Summary
Wrist movement-related injuries account for a large number of repetitive motion injuries. Little, if any, empirical data exist to quantify the impact of neuromuscular disorders affecting the wrist or to validate the effectiveness of rehabilitation training programs on wrist functions. The aim of this project was to develop a biomechanical model for quantifying wrist and forearm kinetics during unconstrained movements, to assess its reliability and to determine its sensitivity. Measurement of upper extremity kinematics and kinetics is a requirement in the field of neurorehabilitation, ergonomics and sports performance For applications involving these measurements, the use of lightweight microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) inertial sensors can be useful [1,2]. Increased antagonist muscle tension in the upper limb was inferred from limitations in wrist ROM and may be a source of biomechanical stress during both occupational and non-occupational activities [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call