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 6 OF 27 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTRCT2019Effects of dry needling on tendon-pulley architecture, pain and hand function in patients with trigger finger: a randomized controlled trial study.Journal of physical therapy scienceOne dry needling session lowered pain, improved hand function and pinch grip, and reduced A1 pulley and tendon thickness one week after treatment in trigger finger. Control showed little change.
• OTOther2019Grip control and motor coordination with implanted and surface electrodes while grasping with an osseointegrated prosthetic hand.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationImplanted electrodes gave three amputees finer grip force control, breaking fewer fragile objects. However, surface electrodes allowed faster transfers and better timing between grip and lift. The implanted system did not improve overall motor coordination, likely due to a lack of tactile feedback.
• PTOTCase Report2019A case of an elderly hip disarticulation amputee with rheumatoid arthritis who regained the ability to walk using a hip prosthesis.Journal of physical therapy scienceAn elderly woman with rheumatoid arthritis and a hip amputation learned to walk with a hip prosthesis fitted with easier fastening. This is a single person's course, not evidence that the method works.
• PTOTRCT2019A suite of automated tools to quantify hand and wrist motor function after cervical spinal cord injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new set of hand and wrist measurement tools reliably quantified muscle force deficits in people with cervical spinal cord injury, matching scores from standard clinical exams. The tools distinguish impaired strength from preserved movement range, offering a precise way to track recovery over time.
• PTOTOther2019Relationships between grip strength, dexterity, and fine hand use are attenuated by age in children 3 to 13 years-of-age.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn children 3 to 13, grip strength and fine hand use scores are higher at older ages. After age is accounted for, tests are not strongly related, so one test cannot replace another.
• PTOTPilot2019Age-related changes in postural control for wearing shoes using different process of leg-raising processes in the sitting position: a pilot study.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy older men moved their center of pressure farther and used more trunk and hip muscle effort than younger men when crossing a leg to put on shoes. The easiest, fastest way was lifting the leg slightly without hands.
• OTRCT2019Visual attention, EEG alpha power and T7-Fz connectivity are implicated in prosthetic hand control and can be optimized through gaze training.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn able-bodied users of a prosthetic hand simulator, gaze training led to faster task performance than movement instruction, more target-focused gaze, and reduced a brain signal associated with conscious verbal control.
• PTOTSLPRCT2019Elements virtual rehabilitation improves motor, cognitive, and functional outcomes in adult stroke: evidence from a randomized controlled pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 21 sub-acute stroke inpatients, adding Elements tabletop VR to usual occupational and physiotherapy produced larger gains on the Box and Blocks test, cognition screening, and self-rated daily function than usual therapy alone. Gains remained at one month. Small unblinded pilot.
• PTOTSLPRCT2019Effects of muscle energy technique on pain, range of motion and function in patients with post-surgical elbow stiffness: A randomized controlled trial.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoStarting muscle energy technique immediately after cast removal improved elbow stiffness more than waiting a week. Patients in the early-start group had less pain, better movement, and improved arm function after three weeks of physiotherapy.
• PTOTSLPOther2019The influence of posture duration on hand tremor during tasks with attention-distraction in persons with Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationHand tremor intensity in Parkinson's disease increases significantly over a 30-second task, while it stays constant in healthy controls. Clinicians should record tremor for at least 30 seconds to capture this time-dependent amplification.
• PTOTRCT2019Long-Dose Intensive Therapy Is Necessary for Strong, Clinically Significant, Upper Limb Functional Gains and Retained Gains in Severe/Moderate Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairSevere/moderate chronic stroke survivors who received 300 hours of intensive upper-limb therapy improved coordination and function. Gains remained at 3 months, and functional task performance improved further.
• OTOther2019Kinematic synergies of hand grasps: a comprehensive study on a large publicly available dataset.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationHealthy adults performing 20 hand grasps showed repeatable coordination patterns, especially finger flexion, wrist and palmar arch, and thumb opposition. These are a reference for hand rehabilitation and prosthetics, not proof a treatment works.
• PTOTCohort2019Differential Poststroke Motor Recovery in an Arm Versus Hand Muscle in the Absence of Motor Evoked Potentials.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairAfter stroke, absent motor-evoked potentials did not always prevent elbow flexor contraction or strength recovery, but finger muscle contraction, strength, and standardized arm-hand movement scores remained impaired.
• PTOTCohort2019Physical fitness is predictive for 5-year survival in older adults with intellectual disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDBetter fitness predicted lower 5-year mortality risk in older adults with intellectual disabilities. Manual dexterity, visual reaction time, balance, walking speed, grip strength and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with survival.
• PTOTSystematic Review2019Hand therapy interventions, outcomes, and diagnoses evaluated over the last 10 years: A mapping review linking research to practice.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsAcross 191 hand therapy articles, evidence concentrated on carpal tunnel, osteoarthritis, tendon surgeries, exercise, orthotics, education, and body function/physiology outcomes. Few studies covered amputation, hand transplants, traumas, activity-based interventions, or function/performance and quality-of-care outcomes.
• OTOther2019Efficacy of a radial-based thumb metacarpophalangeal-stabilizing orthosis for protecting the thumb metacarpophalangeal joint ulnar collateral ligament.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsIn ten cadaveric hands, a low-profile thumb orthosis that leaves the thumb tip and base free reduced thumb joint opening under sideways loads up to 100 N. It does not prove earlier safe return to sport.
• PTOTOther2019Prevalence and goal attainment with spinal orthoses for children with cerebral palsy.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineOnly 251 of 2800 children with CP used spinal orthoses, mostly for function. Functional goals were often attained, but 37% of children with severe scoliosis who had that goal attained deformity prevention.
• PTOTOther2019Coordination of reach-to-grasp in physical and haptic-free virtual environments.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThirteen healthy adults reached and grasped objects in a virtual environment without haptic feedback. They moved slower and opened their hands wider than in the physical world. However, the coordination between reaching and grasping remained intact.
• PTOTOther2018Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability of the Patient-Rated Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire for Thai Patients.Occupational therapy internationalThe Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire is now available in Thai and works reliably for hand injury patients. Scores stay consistent over time, and most domains are internally sound. The aesthetics section is less reliable, so interpret those specific scores with caution.
• OTSystematic Review2018Occupational Therapy for Adults with Overweight and Obesity: Mapping Interventions Involving Occupational Therapists.Occupational therapy internationalAdults with overweight or obesity in programmes involving occupational therapists often lost weight: eight of 11 studies reported weight loss. Most programmes were multidisciplinary, so occupational therapy alone cannot be separated.
• PTOTCohort2019End-point kinematics using virtual reality explaining upper limb impairment and activity capacity in stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMovement speed and smoothness from a virtual pointing task tracked some upper limb impairment and activity capacity after stroke, but only partly matched standard clinical scores. Use them as added information, not as a replacement.
• PTOTRCT2019Combining Fluoxetine and rTMS in Poststroke Motor Recovery: A Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Randomized Phase 2 Clinical Trial.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairCombining low-frequency rTMS with fluoxetine improved hand function speed significantly more than either fluoxetine or placebo alone. However, the fluoxetine-only group actually performed worse than the placebo group. The benefit likely came from rTMS overcoming potential negative effects of the drug, not from synergy.
• OTOther2019Egocentric video: a new tool for capturing hand use of individuals with spinal cord injury at home.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA head-mounted video system detected hand-object interactions in nine people with cervical spinal cord injury. Its interaction counts and durations tracked human observer labels moderately well, but it was tested in a simulated lab, not real homes.
• OTOther2018Temporal differences in eye-hand coordination between children and adults during manual action on objects.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTEight-year-olds rely more on vision than adults when handling objects. They keep their eyes on the task longer because their touch-based feedback system is less developed. This suggests therapists should assess somatosensory processing, not just visual-motor skills, in children with coordination difficulties.
• OTOther2019Effects of the Computer Desk Level on the Musculoskeletal Discomfort of Neck and Upper Extremities and EMG Activities in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries.Occupational therapy internationalIn 12 wheelchair users with spinal cord injury, self-rated neck and arm discomfort changed with desk height by injury level: higher desk lowered discomfort for C6, lower desk lowered discomfort for T2-T6. EMG muscle activity did not change.
• OTOther2019Upper Extremity Function Assessment Using a Glove Orthosis and Virtual Reality System.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthA sensor-equipped glove tracking hand movements during virtual tasks correlates strongly with the Wolf Motor Function Test in stroke survivors. This suggests the software can validly monitor upper limb motor status during therapy without requiring separate clinical assessments.
• OTCase Series2019Vocational evaluation and vocational guidance for young people with a history of drug abuse.Work (Reading, Mass.)In 17 young people recovering from drug use, many were ready for entry-level work but were unclear about career choices. Detailed vocational assessment gave concrete strengths and gaps to guide job planning.
• PTOTRCT2019Intensive virtual reality and robotic based upper limb training compared to usual care, and associated cortical reorganization, in the acute and early sub-acute periods post-stroke: a feasibility study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn people with recent stroke, adding intensive virtual reality and robotic arm training to usual inpatient therapy was associated with larger 6-month gains in arm impairment and wrist movement, but not in task performance or pinch.
• PTOTRCT2019Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Upper Extremity Function and Grip Strength in Patients with Subacute Stroke: A Randomised Single-Blind Controlled Trial.Occupational therapy internationalAdding whole-body vibration before task-oriented training improved upper extremity function and grip strength more than upper- and lower-cycle training, but both groups also had task-oriented and conventional therapy, so vibration alone is not proven.
• PTOTSystematic Review2019Need for mechanically and ergonomically enhanced tremor-suppression orthoses for the upper limb: a systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationExisting upper-limb tremor orthoses suppress tremor by 63% on average in patients, matching medication, but are bulky and heavy. They add about 20% weight to the arm, causing fatigue and rejection. Current designs fail ergonomics despite decent mechanical suppression.
• PTOTCohort2019Bimanual coordination deficits in hands following stroke and their relationship with motor and functional performance.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke patients showed unstable grip-force transfer to the paretic hand, with sudden force rebounds. Shorter transfer times from the paretic hand correlated with better motor and functional scores, suggesting this specific timing metric may track recovery progress.
• PTOTCase Report2019Myoelectric signal from below the level of spinal cord injury as a command source for an implanted upper extremity neuroprosthesis - a case report.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn a person with C6 spinal cord injury, an electrical signal from a foot muscle below the injury controlled an implanted hand grasp device. On a grasp-release object test, success matched his usual shoulder control, but this was a single case.
• OTOther2019Reliability and validity of the Chinese (Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong version) of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand on patients with upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in Hong Kong.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTFor Hong Kong Cantonese-speaking patients with upper-limb problems, the Chinese DASH measured disability and work consistently and related to quality of life. The sports/performing arts module was less clear.
• OTRCT2019Impact of game mode in multi-user serious games for upper limb rehabilitation: a within-person randomized trial on engagement and social involvement.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationEngagement did not differ across competitive, co-active, and collaborative game modes. In collaborative play, healthy older adults reported more empathy and more involvement with their partner than in the other modes.
• PTOTOther2019Upper limb impairments, process skills, and outcome in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn 108 children with one-sided cerebral palsy, upper limb strength and movement control, plus task planning and organization, were most strongly tied to self-care independence. Better affected-hand sensation supported manual ability, while spasticity was less directly linked.
• OTOther2019Reliability and responsiveness of the Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function and the Box and Block Test for children with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe Box and Block Test and Jebsen-Taylor Test gave stable scores over 2 weeks, except the Box and Block Test on the more affected hand. They changed after 90 hours of intensive bimanual therapy. Over 120 days without therapy, scores were not stable.
• PTOTPilot2019Immersive Virtual Reality Mirror Therapy for Upper Limb Recovery After Stroke: A Pilot Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationTen chronic stroke survivors tolerated immersive virtual reality mirror therapy without adverse events or significant cybersickness. Motor scores improved slightly but not significantly. The study confirms safety and feasibility but does not show the treatment works.
• PTOTOther2019Neural Correlates of Passive Position Finger Sense After Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairRobotic testing found finger proprioception deficits in 67% of stroke survivors' contralesional hands, far exceeding the 26% detected by standard clinical scales. Deficits were best explained by combined sensory system injury and functional connectivity, not motor damage alone.
• OTRCT2019Bilateral Contralaterally Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation Reveals New Insights Into the Interhemispheric Competition Model in Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairOne hour of bilateral stimulation driven by the strong hand reduced the non-lesioned side's braking of the lesioned side and kept lesioned-side output steady, unlike unilateral stimulation. The same-side pathway did not differ between sessions. This is physiology, not hand recovery proof.
• OTRCT2019Advantages of using 3D virtual reality based training in persons with Parkinson's disease: a parallel study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationCompared with a 2D screen, a 3D headset did not show a clear clinical test advantage in Parkinson's disease. It was more motivating and led to faster task performance, while both groups improved.
• PTOTCohort2019Upper Limb Performance in Daily Life Improves Over the First 12 Weeks Poststroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairUpper limb use in daily life improved over the first 12 weeks post-stroke, especially in those with low initial capacity. Belief, confidence, and motivation were already high and did not predict improvement. Early therapy may better target self-perceived barriers than psychosocial factors.
• PTOTOther2019Breaking Proportional Recovery After Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke arm recovery that looks proportional is partly a score artifact. Rule-breaking patients mostly fail wrist, hand, shoulder, and finger-to-nose items. Mid-range chronic scorers improved more in published arm practice trials.
• PTOTOther2020Functional Deficits in the Less-Impaired Arm of Stroke Survivors Depend on Hemisphere of Damage and Extent of Paretic Arm Impairment.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairChronic stroke survivors' less-affected arm was slower and less effective on hand tasks, especially when the paretic arm was severely impaired. Left hemisphere damage slowed writing and feeding. This does not show training helps.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2019What the Proportional Recovery Rule Is (and Is Not): Methodological and Statistical Considerations.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairA rule that people recover a fixed share of upper-limb function after stroke may describe group averages, but reviewed studies do not prove it predicts any one patient.
• PTOTSystematic Review2020Effects of upper extremity surgery on activities and participation of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with cerebral palsy improved in hand use and perceived performance after upper extremity surgery, but evidence quality was very low. No improvements were found in speed or capacity. Surgeons cannot recommend this procedure based on current data.
• PTOTSystematic Review2019Exoskeletons With Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Gamification for Stroke Patients' Rehabilitation: Systematic Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesMost studies reported motor gains with exoskeletons plus VR or games, but samples were small and varied, mostly clinic-based. No single device or game setup is established.
• OTCase-Control2019Integrated robotics platform with haptic control differentiates subjects with Parkinson's disease from controls and quantifies the motor effects of levodopa.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robot arm test separated Parkinson's disease from controls. People off medication moved 41% slower and hit 25% fewer targets. After medication, motor and robot scores improved, but rigidity measures did not track the clinical change.
• OTOther2019Harnessing smartphone technology and three dimensional printing to create a mobile rehabilitation system, mRehab: assessment of usability and consistency in measurement.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationOlder adults and people with stroke rated a smartphone and 3D printed home practice system as easy to learn and relevant to daily tasks. The app counted movements correctly, but day-to-day measurement was inconsistent for some activities.
• PTOTRCT2019Effects of virtual reality-based planar motion exercises on upper extremity function, range of motion, and health-related quality of life: a multicenter, single-blinded, randomized, controlled pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding 30 minutes of virtual reality planar motion to standard occupational therapy was safe but did not improve arm movement more than standard therapy alone. Patients reported better quality of life and recovery perception, but the small pilot size means these benefits are not yet proven.
• PTOTPilot2019Leap motion controlled video game-based therapy for upper limb rehabilitation in patients with Parkinson's disease: a feasibility study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationLeap Motion games did not show a clear advantage over conventional therapy on grip strength or Box and Blocks dexterity, but did produce better Purdue Pegboard scores. In 23 people with Parkinson's, both groups reported high satisfaction and attended all 12 sessions.