Virtual 44th Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics
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Introduction
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Motivation:
- Grip strength is sensitive to wrist posture1.
- The preferred wrist posture during power grip is an extended and ulnar deviated posture; strength decreases as wrist moves away from this posture in any direction1.
- Our research group has demonstrated that maximal grip strength in the preferred posture can be successfully predicted with a forward-dynamic optimization for healthy adults2.
- Before our simulations can be generalized to other experimental conditions, we need to validate that our model displays sensitivity to wrist posture.
Hypothesis: Simulated grip strength would decrease as wrist posture moved away from the optimal posture in any direction.
Methods
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Results
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Simulations:
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Discussion
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Our simulations showed some sensitivity to wrist posture but required further deviation from optimal posture and decreases in strength were smaller (1.2-5.9kg compared to 8-11kg).
When compared to maximal predicted grip strength (ulnar posture), maximal reduction in strength seen was 9.5kg (radial far posture).
Our model may show different sensitivity to wrist for 2 reasons beside model error:
- In vivo activations may be different from predicted activations
- The optimization predicted inactivity in certain primary wrist muscles that have been reported as partially active during experiments of power grip6
- Appropriately constraining involuntary co-activations between muscles during power grip could improve sensitivity to wrist posture
- Intrinsic muscle may not be fully active during power grip in vivo
- Model does not capture any discomfort that may limit grip strength in less ideal postures
- The model showed some sensitivity to wrist posture, but future work exploring co-activations and discomfort during power gripping is needed to confirm why less sensitivity was seen here.
References
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[1] O¡¯Driscoll SW. J Hand Surg Am. 1992. 17(1), 169-77.
[2] McFarland DC. BMES 2019. Poster presentation.
[3] Delp SL. IEEE Trans Biomed Engin. 2007. 20(5), 540-549.
[4] Pawlaczyk M. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2013. 30(5), 302-6
[5] Birdwell JA. J Neurophysiol. 2013. 110, 1385-92.
[6] Mogk J. Ergonomics. 2003. 46:9, 956-975.
Acknowledgements
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This work is supported by NIH T32 HD07418, NIH RO1HD084009, as well as Merit Review Award #I01RX0019900 from the United States (U.S.) Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Âé¶¹APP and Development Service. This contents do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.
AMA citation for this poster presentation:
McFarland DC, Bednar MS, Murray WM. Sensitivity of Simulated Grip Strength to Wrist Posture. Virtual 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics Conference. August 4-7, 2020.