The Nine Hole Peg Test is commonly used by occupational therapists as a simple, quick assessment for finger dexterity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interrater and test-retest reliability of the commercially available Smith & Nephew Rehabilitation Division version of the Nine Hole Peg Test, and to establish new adult norms for the Nine Hole Peg Test for finger dexterity utilizin...

INTRODUCTION Conventional manual laparoscopic instruments for minimally invasive surgery have limited dexterity within the patient, making procedures challenging. Surgical robotic systems offer enhanced articulation, but at substantial financial costs. This has motivated the development of high-dexterity, low-cost laparoscopic instruments. AREAS COVERED This article reviews both commercial an...

Specific relations between executive functions (working memory capacity, planning and problem-solving, inhibitory control) and motor skill performance (anticipatory motor planning, manual dexterity) were examined in 5- to 6-year-old children (N = 40). Results showed that the two motor skill components were not correlated. Additionally, it was found that response planning performance was a signi...

INTRODUCTION Prostheses for upper-limb amputees are currently controlled by either myoelectric or peripheral neural signals. Performance and dexterity of these devices is still limited, particularly when it comes to controlling hand function. Movement-related brain activity might serve as a complementary bio-signal for motor control of hand prosthesis. METHODS We introduced a methodology to i...

BACKGROUND Several pilot studies have evoked interest in robot-assisted therapy (RAT) in children with cerebral palsy (CP). OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of RAT in children with CP through a single-blind randomized controlled trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixteen children with CP were randomized into 2 groups. Eight children performed 5 conventional therapy sessions per week over 8 we...

A loss of a limb is a common phenomenon among both humans and animals. Where animals have to cope with such a loss, humans have pushed attempts towards limb replacements for quite a long time. It has only been relatively recently that such devices, in addition to providing a cosmetic replacement can also be sophisticated enough to account for some of the functions of the lost limb. Upper-limb r...

BACKGROUND Double-gloving in the performance of surgical procedures has been demonstrated to reduce the frequency of blood contact with the hands of members of the surgical team. Concerns persist that double-gloving can compromise the dexterity and tactile sensitivity of the surgeon. STUDY DESIGN Fifty-three surgeons and surgeons-in-training volunteered at the Clinical Congress of the America...

HYPOTHESIS Objective assessment of surgical skill has recently been shown to be possible through the use of dexterity-based and video analysis systems. The aim of this study was to synchronize these 2 modalities to produce a comprehensive surgical assessment tool. DESIGN The Imperial College Surgical Assessment Device is a dexterity-based motion analysis device that has been developed in the ...

An “ideal” upper limb prosthesis should be perceived as part of the natural body by the amputee and should replicate sensory-motor capabilities of the amputated limb. However, such an ideal “cybernetic” prosthesis is still far from reality: current prosthetic hands are simple grippers with one or two degrees of freedom (DOF), which barely restore the capability of the thumbindex pinch. This pap...