Hand Function,Biomechanics and Disability

Abstract

A functional assessment and biomechanical analysis of certain joints of the fingers are presented. The functional assessment has been carried out on rheumatoid arthritis patients who were assessed pre- and post-surgically after metacarpophalangeal joint replacement. Twenty normal subjects have been assessed in the biomechanical tests as they carried out two activities, tap turning and jar closing. The load actions applied by the index finger were measured by a six component transducer and the three-dimensional coordinates of the joint centres were derived from external markers attached to the skin of the index finger. From this information the forces and components of moment to be transmitted at the proximal interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints have been calculated.