TOPIC

Hand therapy research

Everything we have read on hand therapy. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

1,303 PAPERS · PAGE 21 OF 27 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTCohort2024Factors associated with stair climbing independence at discharge in patients with vertebral compression fractures and their interrelationships: a study using decision tree analysis.Journal of physical therapy scienceFor women with vertebral compression fractures, muscle mass and age at admission predicted stair independence at discharge. Those with skeletal muscle mass index below 4.48 kg/m2 or age over 90.5 years were more likely to need assistance. Grip strength below 11.9 kg also flagged risk.
• PTOTRCT2025Resting-state hemodynamic changes and effects on upper limb function after multi-channel transcranial direct current stimulation to the ipsilesional primary motor cortex and anterior intraparietal sulcus in stroke patients: an fNIRS pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFMA-UE upper limb scores did not improve more with real tDCS added to exercises than sham added to exercises. The Box and Block Test favoured real tDCS, but this pilot cannot show tDCS works.
• PTOTOther2024Characteristics and factors associated with independence in the activities of daily living of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at diagnosis.Journal of physical therapy scienceAt ALS diagnosis, lower limb-onset patients had the most impaired independence in daily living, especially transferring, bathing, walking and stairs. Knee extension strength was linked to independence.
• OTSLPCase Report2024A Case Study of Suspected Childhood Apraxia of Sign.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsA 4-year-old deaf signer showed inconsistent handshape, location, and movement errors, sign distortions, groping, and self-manipulation of hands. This single case may indicate apraxia of sign, but does not prove diagnosis or treatment response.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Tongue Pressure and Grip Strength as Indicators of Persistent Dysphagia After Acute Stroke.DysphagiaLow tongue pressure and grip strength measured within 48 hours of acute stroke admission independently predicted dysphagia persisting to discharge. Skeletal muscle mass and stroke severity (NIHSS) did not. Early bedside measures of oral and general strength may help flag patients needing longer-term feeding or rehab planning.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025Early Years Practitioners' and Public Health Consultants' Perspectives on the Use of Interactive Electronic Devices in Young Children: A Qualitative Study.Child: care, health and developmentPractitioners and consultants describe tablets replacing outdoor play, leading to poorer self-regulation and motor skills. They note children swipe at wooden blocks expecting a screen response. Both groups want adult-led use to support learning, not free play.
• OTQualitative2025Improving Parent and Therapist Experiences of Codelivering Intensive Upper Limb Interventions for Children With Hemiplegia: A Qualitative Study Using the Theoretical Domains Framework.Child: care, health and developmentParents and therapists found codelivering intensive upper limb therapy challenging due to travel, time, and unclear roles. Virtual sessions helped parents lead, but in-person clinics often kept them observing. Emotional support and clearer communication between hospital and community teams were key needs.
• PTOTOther2025Achieving precision assessment of functional clinical scores for upper extremity using IMU-Based wearable devices and deep learning methods.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWearable sensors and AI matched therapist scores for arm function in stroke patients. The system predicted Fugl-Meyer scores with high accuracy and identified recovery stages reliably, offering a tool for objective monitoring.
• OTSLPCohort2025Psychosocial factors associated with the trajectories of interparental conflict for Australian fathers of autistic children: A longitudinal study across 10 years of child development.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMost fathers of autistic children reported low conflict, but 18% had persistently elevated conflict over 10 years. This group had less co-parenting support and more distressed partners. Screening for these factors during diagnosis may help identify families needing support.
• PTOTRCT2025A clinical trial evaluating feasibility and acceptability of a brain-computer interface for telerehabilitation in patients with stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSeven people with chronic stroke could use a home brain-computer interface with electrical arm stimulation under remote supervision. They rated setup and use as easy by the end, and six had higher arm motor scores, but this was a feasibility pilot.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025An overview of systematic reviews investigating clinical features for diagnosing neck pain and its associated disorders.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapyImaging findings often appear in healthy people and those with neck pain, so scans rarely pinpoint the specific mechanical cause. However, combining the extension-rotation test with manual assessment of joint stiffness and muscle tenderness provides moderate to high diagnostic validity for facetogenic pain.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025First-in-human implementation of a bidirectional somatosensory neuroprosthetic system with wireless communication.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTwo men with arm amputations tested a wireless nerve implant for hand sensation and control. The device worked and felt helpful to the user, but it did not improve his speed or accuracy on daily tasks compared to using the prosthesis without sensation.
• PTOTRCT2025Transcranial direct current stimulation over the motor and premotor cortex with mirror therapy improves motor control, muscle function, and brain activity in chronic stroke: a double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationCompared with sham, brain stimulation over the premotor area before mirror therapy improved paretic hand speed and smoothness and reduced spasticity. Stimulation over the motor cortex reduced trunk displacement. All groups also practiced functional tasks.
• PTOTOther2025Exoskeleton-guided passive movement elicits standardized EEG patterns for generalizable BCIs in stroke rehabilitation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationExoskeleton-guided passive hand movement produced more consistent EEG patterns than voluntary movement in 10 stroke patients and 20 healthy people. Deep learning decoded passive movement across participants at 72.63% in stroke and 86.00% in healthy, but motor recovery was not tested.
• PTOTCohort2025The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy, Aerobic Fitness, and Traditional Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injuries in Military Training: A Prospective Cohort Study.International journal of sports physical therapyCadets with low self-efficacy got injured more often than confident peers, but this link disappeared once aerobic fitness was accounted for. Only slower 2-mile run times independently predicted injury risk. Self-efficacy screening alone misses the primary physical driver.
• PTOTRCT2025Tele-rehabilitation using transcranial direct current stimulation combined with exercise in people with spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAdding active tDCS to home tele-exercise improved upper limb motor scores by 4.2 points at one month, meeting the threshold for clinical importance. Lower limb function, sensation, strength, spasticity, and independence showed no difference between groups.
• PTOTSLPOther2025The Effect of the Addition of Core Exercises to Supervised Physiotherapy in Patients With Subacromial Impingement Syndrome.International journal of sports physical therapyIn 34 patients with subacromial impingement, adding core exercises to five weeks of supervised physiotherapy increased lateral rotator strength by 9.2 kg and grip strength by 10.6 kg. However, without a control group, it is impossible to separate the effect of the core exercises from the standard physiotherapy they also received.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Efficacy of Robot-assisted Training on Upper Limb Motor Function After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationRobot-assisted training added to conventional stroke rehabilitation improved upper limb motor function and daily living ability. The motor benefit was not clear in trials of 6 weeks or longer, and the evidence was intermediate to low.
• PTOTCohort2025Psychological, disability, and somatosensory characteristics across different risk levels in individuals with low back pain: A cross-sectional study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyHigher risk scores on the Start Back Screening Tool and Central Sensitization Inventory were linked to greater pain, disability, fear of movement, and lower pain thresholds. However, the two questionnaires disagreed on who belonged to which risk group, so they identify different problems rather than the same subgroup.
• PTOTPilot2025Scaling new heights: a pilot study of the impact of climbing on balance, agility, and dexterity in individuals with Parkinson's disease.Archives of physiotherapyAfter a climbing programme, people with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease improved on balance, mobility, agility and hand dexterity tests. Grip strength did not change.
• PTOTOther2025Delayed muscle fatigue during electrical stimulation of the proximal nerve using asymmetric random high-frequency carrier pulse cluster.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn healthy adults, a new random asymmetric electrical stimulation pattern produced stronger finger forces over five minutes and caused less pain than a standard symmetric pattern. The study did not test stroke survivors, so its benefit for clinical rehabilitation remains unproven.
• PTOTCohort2025Motor Impairment and Disuse Are Independent Predictors of Vascular Outcomes Poststroke.Physical therapyStroke survivors showed reduced artery size and muscle blood flow in paretic arms compared to non-paretic arms and healthy controls. Motor impairment and perceived arm disuse independently predicted these vascular deficits. These findings suggest vascular health is linked to motor recovery and usage patterns.
• PTOTRCT2025Effectiveness of virtual reality assisted active limb movement exercises for patients in the respiratory intensive care unit: a randomized pilot study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIn respiratory ICU patients, VR-assisted active limb exercises increased daily exercise time, out-of-bed time and good adherence, raised muscle strength scores, and were associated with a shorter RICU stay over a week.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025Visuomotor Integration Assessment Using Immersive Virtual Reality for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Study.Child: care, health and developmentIn 12 children with cerebral palsy, immersive VR did not correlate with standard paper-and-pencil visuomotor scores. Children were less accurate in VR than on a touchscreen. Adding visual distractions consistently worsened eye tracking, while hand accuracy sometimes improved.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025Use of Technology in the Rehabilitation Setting: Therapy Observations, Mixed Methods Analysis, and Data Visualization.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationRehabilitation technology is widely available but often unused. Therapists favored familiar, electrically powered devices for balance and gait training. Setup times were typically short. Multitasking during treatment was common. Novel technologies like exoskeletons were rarely used, suggesting a gap between available tools and clinical workflow.
• PTOTOther2025Assessing Shoulder Proprioceptive Sense of Force: Hand-Held Dynamometer Reliability and Comparison with Isokinetic Protocols.International journal of sports physical therapyA hand-held dynamometer protocol for shoulder force sense showed only low-to-moderate reliability and did not agree with isokinetic results. Clinicians should not use it for diagnosis. If used, test at 50% maximum strength, as lower intensities were less accurate.
• PTOTSystematic Review2024Pediatric Performance-Based Outcome Measures for Upper Extremity Function: A Scoping Review and Linking to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieThirty-two performance-based tests for children's upper limb function were mapped to the ICF. Most assess body function and activity, with significant gaps in participation and personal factors. Clinicians should note these measures do not capture real-world engagement or environmental barriers.
• PTOTCohort2025Postoperative hand therapy and the 2018 Medicare therapy cap repeal: Appraising cost and use changes.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsThe 2018 Medicare therapy cap repeal reduced out-of-pocket costs by about $1 per appointment but led to increased therapy use after carpal tunnel and distal radius fracture surgeries. This suggests coverage changes may drive utilization more than clinical need, potentially requiring prior authorization to balance access with appropriate care.
• PTOTPilot2025A pilot study for self-guided, active robotic training of proprioception of the upper limb in chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFive people with chronic stroke improved their reaching movements after a single session of robotic proprioceptive training. However, the primary goal of improving position sense showed no significant change. This pilot suggests the method is feasible but does not yet prove it treats proprioceptive deficits.
• PTOTOther2025Use of the non-paretic arm reflects a habitual behaviour in chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWhen chronic stroke patients had to choose an arm quickly, they used their non-paretic arm more often even when it earned fewer points. This suggests not using the paretic arm may reflect a habit, not only motor capacity.
• PTOTCohort2025Postural balance and functional muscle strength in the hands and legs one year after hospitalisation due to COVID-19.Journal of rehabilitation medicineOne year after hospitalisation for COVID-19, most patients had improved balance and strength, but nearly half still had impaired muscle strength. Older age and lower pre-illness activity predicted worse hand strength. Discharge strength was the strongest predictor of recovery, suggesting early assessment identifies those needing continued rehabilitation.
• PTOTRCT2025Virtual reality as a potential therapy in a rehabilitation sanatorium for patients after ischemic stroke: impact on quality of life and social participation-a randomized trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAdding virtual reality to standard stroke rehabilitation did not improve quality of life, cognition, or social participation more than standard therapy alone. Both groups improved similarly, so VR is not a superior clinical intervention for these outcomes.
• PTOTCohort2025Reliability and utility of ultrasound imaging assessment methods for shoulder subluxation in patients with stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceUltrasound measurement of shoulder gap distance in stroke patients matched fingerbreadth palpation and correlated with worse motor function and pain. It offers a reliable, radiation-free alternative to X-rays for tracking subluxation severity, though it cannot prove cause and effect.
• OTOther2024Interrater Reliability and Precision of a Novel Hand Strength Assessment and Treatment Device: The GripAble.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationThe GripAble device measures grip strength reliably in healthy hands. Averaging three trials reduces measurement error compared to one or two. A 2.6 kg change is needed to be confident a patient's strength has truly improved or declined.
• PTOTRCT2025Impact of sensorimotor mismatch on virtual reality sickness and user experience: age-related differences in a randomized trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn healthy adults, deliberate sensorimotor mismatches in a seated VR ball-throwing task did not increase VR sickness compared to standard or errorless tasks. However, the mismatch condition caused significantly more frustration and exhaustion. Older participants reported less sickness than younger ones. This suggests mismatched feedback is tolerable but may reduce user enjoyment.
• PTOTOther2025Individual muscle strengths in rehabilitation outcomes of distal radius fracture.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSimulated extension exercises after wrist fracture helped a weaker patient heal but hurt a stronger one. Muscle strength changes how much force hits the bone. Standard exercise plans may overload strong patients and underload weak ones.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Benefits of horseback riding for neurotypical children and adolescents: a scoping review.CoDASHorse riding showed mixed results for neurotypical children. Two randomized trials found improved social competence, but non-randomized studies varied widely in cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Evidence quality was low, with most studies having moderate risk of bias.
• PTOTRCT2025Efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and nutraceutical supplementation in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesCombining exercise, shock wave therapy, and supplements cut pain and disability more than either alone. This trio was the only approach that significantly improved grip strength. Exercise plus supplements reduced pain faster, within 15 days.
• PTOTCohort2025Fatigue and recovery assessed by repetitive handgrip strength measurement as predictors of fall risk in older adults: A cross-sectional study.Clinical rehabilitationOlder adults who had fallen showed worse handgrip fatigue and recovery than those who had not. In adjusted models, a higher fatigue ratio predicted more future falls, while previous falls and lower physical performance were the strongest predictors.
• OTPilot2025Effects of game design characteristics of a virtual reality serious game for upper-limb prosthesis control training on motor learning.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAble-bodied participants got faster at grasping and moving virtual cups in a small VR game for virtual prosthetic hand control training, but did not improve force control to avoid crushing glasses. It tested game design, not whether prosthesis training works.
• PTOTOther2025Exploratory development of human-machine interaction strategies for post-stroke upper-limb rehabilitation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new upper-limb exoskeleton accurately recognized subtle movement intentions in healthy volunteers (99.7% accuracy) and stopped safely when excessive force was applied in a single post-stroke patient. Clinical trials are needed to confirm rehabilitation effectiveness.
• PTOTOther2025Neuroimaging and biological markers of different paretic hand outcomes after stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA brain scan metric called ALFF accurately distinguished stroke patients with partial hand weakness from those with complete paralysis. It also predicted hand function scores. This suggests a potential tool for assessing recovery, but clinical use requires further validation.
• PTOTPilot2025Wristful thinking: exploring the effects of robotic rehabilitation and cross-education for persons with multiple sclerosis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn people with MS, robot-guided wrist training of a single arm increased wrist strength and tracking accuracy in both arms, but daily hand function scores did not change.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Effective Autism Classification Through Grasping Kinematics.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchA machine learning model classified autistic from non-autistic young adults with 84% to 89% accuracy using only thumb and finger movement data. This suggests grasping kinematics could serve as an objective diagnostic marker, though it requires validation in children.
• PTOTCohort2025Bilateral hand use during infancy in very low birth weight infants.Journal of physical therapy scienceVery low birth weight infants under 1,000 g reached toy transfer later than infants with birth weight 1,000 to 1,499 g, with middle ages of 6.4 and 5.8 months. No clear difference was seen for playing with both hands together or grasping two toys.
• OTOther2024Validity and reliability of the functional test for hemiplegic upper Extremity-Thai version.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTThe Thai version of the Functional Test for Hemiplegic Upper Extremity matches the Fugl-Meyer Assessment and gives consistent scores over two weeks. It is a reliable option for screening arm and hand function in stroke survivors in Thailand.
• PTOTRCT2025Balance rehabilitation and Long Covid syndrome: effectiveness of thermal water treatment vs. home-based program.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesHome-based rehab improved balance faster, while spa thermal water treatment produced more sustained gains over three months. Neither approach showed superiority at the end of treatment, and both groups experienced technical dropouts that limit confidence in these timing differences.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Upper limb robotic rehabilitation following stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating efficacy and the influence of device features and program parameters.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationDose-matched robotic therapy gave a tiny, short-lived boost to arm capacity that patients did not feel in daily life. It did not beat conventional therapy for activities. Games and feedback added nothing when a therapist supervised the session.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025Evaluating self-assistance during functional reach with a passive hydrostatic exoskeleton under artificial impairment.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationHealthy adults with induced hand impairment improved grasp speed faster when using a passive exoskeleton to assist themselves. They retained this speed after removing the device, showing no dependency. This pilot supports self-assistance mechanisms but does not prove clinical efficacy.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2025Effect of Dual-Task Training on the Number of EEG Bands in Stroke Patients.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyFive women with stroke showed reduced brain wave activity in all four EEG bands after 12 sessions of dual-task training. All improved on manual dexterity tests, but the authors state these clinical changes cannot yet be considered relevant or proven effective.