In dextrous hand control, the implementation of manipulation movements still is a complex and intricate undertaking. Often, a lot of object physics and modelling effort has to be incorporated into a controller working only for a restricted task specification and performing quite artificially looking movements. In this paper, starting from our representation for dextrous grasping, the Grasp Mani...

The movement patterns one sees when loads placed on a joint are incrementally increased provides valuable insight as to how a joint functions during different everyday activities. This author describes a simple, yet effective method of assessing the thumb carpometacarpal joint as load demands increase. It may be used as an evaluative tool or as an adjunct to treatment.

Reaction times (RTs) of nine normal subjects and 11 amputees with prosthetic limbs were examined in standing posture and during stepping movement. There were significant differences of RTs between standing and stepping, and between the phases of the stepping cycle in both the normal subjects and the BK or AK amputees with prosthetic limbs. The attentional demand during stepping movement and the...

We have reviewed 30 patients who had been treated conservatively for acromioclavicular dislocation between 1979 and 1982 at an average of 12.5 years after the injury. All except one had a good outcome as did five others contacted by telephone. In all patients reviewed the acromioclavicular joint remained subluxed or dislocated. With conservative treatment a good long-term outcome can be expecte...

When opposing force fields are presented alternately or randomly across trials for identical reaching movements, subjects learn neither force field, a behavior termed 'interference'. Studies have shown that a small difference in the endpoint posture of the limb reduces this interference. However, any difference in the limb's endpoint location typically changes the hand position, joint angles an...

Coupling of spine and hip joints during full body reaching tasks was investigated in 16 participants (8 male and 8 female) who performed reaching tasks at comfortable and fast-paced movement speeds to three targets located in a para-sagittal plane. The participants paused at target contact for 500ms and then returned to an upright posture. Three-dimensional joint motions of the spine and hip we...

Many sensorimotor neurons in the CNS encode global parameters of limb movement and posture rather than specific muscle or joint parameters. Our investigations of spinocerebellar activity have demonstrated that these second-order spinal neurons also may encode proprioceptive information in a limb-based rather than joint-based reference frame. However, our finding that each foot position was dete...

Background The Subtalar joint position during static stance is a crucial determinant of the peak plantar pressures and forms a base for any intervention in foot related problems for leprosy affected patients[1]. Studies have stated that the subtalar joint when in neutral position is more ideal for orthotic fabrication. In this study a hypothesis was formulated and pursued [2,3]. Central to the ...

DESCRIPTION A 71-year-old right-hand-dominant retired man complains of inability to straighten the thumb, middle finger, and small finger of his left hand. This symptom has been progressively worsening over the past 2 or 3 years. On examination, the 3 affected digits cannot be fully extended, either passively or actively. There is a thick band of fibrous tissue tethering each digit in its contr...

BACKGROUND It is important to evaluate dynamic changes in the joint space width of the ankle mortise in detail in order to better understand the pathology of foot and ankle disorders. However, there are few reports on changes in the joint space width of the foot and ankle assessed using 3D images. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in the joint space width of the ankle (tibi...