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Abstract: This study determined the impact of changing block surfaces on hand function, as well as identified particularly time-consuming movement components post stroke, measured by the Box and Block Test (BBT). Eight chronic stroke survivors and eight age- and gender-matched control subjects participated in this study. The BBT score (number of blocks moved) and time for seven movement components were compared for three different block surfaces (wood, paper, and rubber). The rubber blocks improved BBT scores 8% (compared to all other conditions) not only for control subjects but also for the paretic and non-paretic hands of stroke survivors, by reducing movement time for finger closing and contact-to-lift. Modifying daily objects' surfaces with rubber could help stroke survivors' hand function. The paretic hand displayed notably slower movement for contact-to-lift, transport-release, reach before barrier, and reach after barrier suggesting that therapies may focus on goal directed reaching and object grasping/releasing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Metacarpal gloves are commonly used in heavy-duty industries such as mining and are typically thicker and bulkier than manufacturing or assembly industrial gloves. This pilot study investigates the impact of wearing metacarpal gloves on hand dexterity, functional capabilities, and perceived comfort. Four types of commercially available metacarpal gloves were selected for evaluation in a randomized controlled trial. Evaluations included turning and placing tests, also grip, pinch, and screwdriver tests, and rating of the perceived level of effort. Dexterity test results showed that metacarpal gloves significantly reduced the ability to perform motor tasks requiring coordination compared to bare hands. Hand functions such as gripping, pinching, and forearm rotations were not significantly affected. However, the perceived level of effort needed to complete those hand functions increased as the metacarpal glove's bulkiness increased. High levels of mechanical protection typically offered by metacarpal gloves can inversely affect hand dexterity and hand exertion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In various workplaces, gloves are commonly employed to protect the hands with the design rationale of ‘the thicker the gloves, the better the protection’. Therefore, the present paper investigated the effects of glove thickness on hand performance and fatigue during two infrequent high-intensity gripping tasks, such as 5-s and sustained tasks. The hand performance was evaluated by maximum volitional contraction (MVC) and its associated time needed to reach the MVC (T MVC), and the total force generation (TFG) during the sustained task. The hand fatigue was assessed by MVC degeneration (ΔMVC), the shift in time needed to reach the MVC (ΔT MVC), and the maximal endurance time (MET) associated with the sustained task. Ten female subjects took part in the experiment voluntarily. The four-gloved conditions included bare hand, wearing one layer (Cotton-1), wearing two layers of cotton gloves (Cotton-2), and covering the handle with two layers of cotton glove and exerting with the bare hand (Covered-2). The results indicates that wearing gloves decreased the grip MVC, and the thicker the gloves, the less the grip MVC, but the wearing style did not change the MVC (Cotton-2 MVC was indifferent from Covered-2 MVC). As to muscular fatigue, on the other hand, wearing gloves did not affect ΔMVC, MET, T MVC, or ΔT MVC. Due to the greater bare-hand MVC and indifferent MET, bare-hand TFG was better than those conditions with gloves. Finally, the load specified here did not alter T MVC or ΔT MVC, but the greater the load, the more strength degeneration (ΔMVC) was induced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ten subjects were asked to apply maximum torques on knife handles with either their bare hand or their hand wearing a Kevlar fibre protective glove. Four knife handles (2 roughnesses, 2 hardnesses) were tested. Surface electromyograms of 6 upper limb and shoulder muscles were recorded and subject opinions on both knife handle hardness and friction in the hand were also assessed. The results revealed the significant influence of wearing gloves (p<0.0001), knife type (p<0.0005) and handle hardness (p<0.005) on the applied torque. Wearing Kevlar fibre gloves greatly increased the torque independently of the other two parameters. Under the bare hand condition, a 90°ShA slightly rough handle provided the greatest torque. Subject opinion agreed with the observed effects on recorded torque values except for the hardness factor, for which a preference for the 70°ShA value over the 90°ShA value emerged. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Despite the facts that gripping tasks have been found to be highly correlated with CTS and that splints are gaining popularity as personal protective equipment, the influence of splints on grip performance has not been determined adequately. The present study intends to investigate the influence of splints without the volar parts as well as of forearm and wrist postures on grip performances including maximal volitional contraction (MVC), maximum acceptable sustained time (MAST), cumulated exertion output (CEO), and normalized exertion level (NEL). Twenty college-student volunteers, 10 males and 10 females, were recruited. The factors of interest were gender, forearm position, wrist deviation, and splint (with and without). The forearm positions were set at 30° internal shoulder rotation, 0° internal shoulder rotation, and 30° external shoulder rotation, the angles being measured between the sagittal plane and the long axis of dominant forearm. The wrist deviations were extension 30°, neutral, and flexion 30°, the angles being measured between the sagittal plane and the long axis of the grip gauge. The results indicate that the gender effect is the most dominantly significant on all evaluated response variables. Males have more MVC (220 vs. 337N), longer MAST (20.2 vs. 10.5s), and greater CEO (4306 vs. 1638Ns), but less NEL (66.6 vs. 73.9%MVC). The forearm posture is shown to be significant only on MVC. In addition, the effect of wrist posture cannot shift all responses, nor can the effect of splints. In general, a splint without volar part seems to be recommended while performing infrequent and forceful gripping tasks under the consideration of prevention, but there should be more information about the application of a splint without volar part while performing a repetitively gripping task. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]