Human thumb and index finger kinematics were examined for multiple repetitions of a simple grasp task as a means to evaluate motor planning and execution of these important hand movements. Subjects generated a rapid (approximately 90-ms duration) pinch movement of the index finger and thumb from an open-hand position. Approximately 400 repetitions were obtained from four naive subjects. The two...

Concept 2 indoor rowing machine (Concept 2 Inc., USA), an exercise and training machine for able-bodied population, was modified for total body exercise in paraplegia. A new seating system provides trunk stability and constrains the leg motion to the sagittal plane. A 4-channel electrical stimulator activates the quadriceps and hamstrings in drive and recovery phases of rowing cycle. Force sens...

A paralyzed hand with some power in the wrist can he made functional by stabilizing the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints of the index and long fingers and the joints of the thumb in the position of function so that the fingers, when flexed at their metacarpophalangeal joints, meet the abducted and partially opposed thumb. The fingers, of course, must be

Background: Rotator cuff injuries are the most common causes of shoulder pain and supraspinatus muscle is usually involved. Clinical tests are available and inexpensive tools for assessment of shoulder dysfunctions. The empty can (EC) and full can (FC) tests are considered as shoulder gold standard tests. Recently, hug up (HU) test has been developed to assess the supraspinatus. So far, no ultr...

The function of thumb posture in mental rotation has not yet been studied intensely, despite its special role in manual action. To investigate if thumb posture modifies relative visual and proprioceptive contributions, we conducted two experiments comprising hand laterality judgement tasks with identical stimuli (left and right hands in palmar and dorsal views presented at four orientations). I...

Previous research investigating eye movements when grasping objects with precision grip has shown that we tend to fixate close to the contact position of the index finger on the object. It has been hypothesized that this behavior is related to the fact that the index finger usually describes a more variable trajectory than the thumb and therefore requires a higher amount of visual monitoring. W...

Classen, Joseph, Joachim Liepert, Steven P. Wise, Mark HalTo address these questions, we examined whether the dilett, and Leonardo G. Cohen. Rapid plasticity of human cortical rection of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-evoked movement representation induced by practice. J. Neurophysiol. 79: thumb movements can be modulated by repetition of simple 1117–1123, 1998. The process of acquirin...

We evaluated the efficacy of an alternative technique, for insertion of the silicone laryngeal mask airway (LMA) Classic™ in 40 American Society of Anesthesiologists grade ASA I and II patients scheduled for elective surgery. In group I (Index Finger group), the LMA was inserted by the classic index finger technique and, in group T (Thumb Insertion group), the thumb insertion technique was used...

Many operations have been described to restore active opposition of the thumb, but all are dependent on the transplant of tendons and their rerouting to fulfil their new function. When there is no motor available for transplant-quite a common problem-the accepted procedure is to unite the first metacarpal bone to the second in the position of opposition. In 193 1 von Baeyer described a method o...

In two experiments we examined the relationship between end-state comfort effects and memory performance in serial and free recall. In Experiment 1, 24 university students completed a bimanual end-state comfort task and a memory task. Participants viewed a series of 11 letters, then performed the bimanual overturned glass task in which they simultaneously moved two glasses from an upper shelf t...