No abstract

Hand strength may be adversely affected by many conditions. Those involved in the treatment of hand disorders require an objective means of measuring hand strength, in order to monitor the progress of individual patients and to assess the value of particular treatment regimes. This paper describes the rationale behind the development of a versatile microcomputer based system for the clinical measurement of hand strength, its operation, and its uses.

A microcomputer based system has been designed for precise, objective quantification of hand strength. Pinch, grasp and shear strengths are measured using force transducers. The system, which is quick and easy to operate, not only measures these strengths accurately, but also collects, stores and displays this data numerically or in graphical form, at the touch of a button. The data can be manipulated to answer any type of statistical question related to any group of patients. The assessment of hand strength in ninety-six people, representing normal hand function, by means of this system, is reported.