The strength–dexterity test as a measure of dynamic pinch performance

Abstract

We have developed a method to quantify the dynamic interaction between fingertip force magnitude (strength) and directional control (dexterity) during pinch with a novel strength–dexterity (S–D) test based on the principle of buckling of compression springs. The test consists of asking participants to use key and opposition pinch to attempt to fully compress springs, in random order, with a wide range of combinations of strength and dexterity requirements. The minimum force required to fully compress the spring and the propensity of the spring to buckle define the strength and dexterity requirements, respectively. The S–D score for each pinch style was the sum of the strength values of all springs successfully compressed fully. We tested 3 participant groups: 18 unimpaired young adults (⩽40 yr), 10 unimpaired older adults (>40 yr), and 14 adults diagnosed with carpo-metacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA) (⩾36 yr). We investigated the repeatability of the S–D test with 74 springs by testing 14 young adults twice on different days. The per-spring repeatability across subjects was ⩾94%. A minimum performance score for young adults was found as they all could compress a subset of 39 springs. Using this subset of springs, we compared the ability of the S–D score vs. maximal pinch force values to distinguish unimpaired hands from those with CMC OA of the thumb. The score for this 39-spring S–D test distinguished between CMC OA and asymptomatic older adults, whereas pinch meter readings did not ( p<0.05). We conclude that the S–D test is repeatable and applicable to clinical research. We propose including the S–D test in studies aiming to quantify impairment and compare treatment outcomes in orthopaedic and neurological afflictions that degrade dynamic manipulation.