Quantitative measurement of finger usage in stroke hemiplegia using ring-shaped wearable devices.
Naoya Yamamoto, Takato Matsumoto, Tamami Sudo and 2 others
PMID 37280649WHAT IT FOUND
A ring device objectively measured finger use in 20 stroke patients, showing affected hands were used less.
However, this objective data did not match patients' self-reported use on the Motor Activity Log, suggesting subjective interviews may not accurately reflect real-world finger movement.
Key findings
01Objective measurements showed significantly less finger and upper-limb use on the affected side compared to the unaffected side.
02Objective finger and upper-limb usage did not correlate with self-reported amount of use or quality of movement on the Motor Activity Log.
03Objective finger usage correlated with clinical hand function tests like the STEF and ARAT, but not with overall independence scores like FIM-m.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 20 participants, all from a single hospital. Participants were inpatients, so their daily activities were restricted and different from community-dwelling patients, which may explain the lack of correlation with the Motor Activity Log. Patients had mild-to-moderate hemiplegia; results may not apply to those with severe or very mild impairment. Only the index finger was measured, which may not represent full hand function. The study was cross-sectional, measuring usage on a single day, so it does not track changes over time.
Declared interests
Funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that objective device data confirms or refutes a patient's self-reported use. The lack of correlation with the Motor Activity Log may be due to the inpatient setting restricting activities, rather than the device being invalid or the patient lying. Interpret MAL scores with caution in hospitalized patients.