Kinematic
characterization of the hand oriented to the functional assessment of
product handling in activities of daily living.
Abstract:
The
increase of lifespan results in a higher number of older people and in
an increase of the prevalence of diseases such as stroke, arthritis or
carpal tunnel syndrome, which affect people’s manipulative ability.
This functional loss affects the development of activities of daily
living (ADL) needed to lead an independent life with normality. Current
functional assessment protocols used in monitoring such diseases are
highly subjective and often poorly correlated with the actual ability
of developing ADL. These injuries or diseases affect the kinematics of
the hand, this cause being partly responsible for the loss of capacity
to develop these ADL. Therefore, a more complete experimental kinematic
analysis may be useful to develop more objective and ADL oriented
protocols. The control that muscles perform on the kinematic chains of
the hand is complex and the exact role that each muscle plays in the
development of ADL remains unclear. Therefore, a more precise
characterization of this role will help to make a better assessment of
the possible surgical alternatives for people who have suffered an
injury or disability in order to restore the maximum possible
functionality. This characterization can be performed by combining
biomechanical simulation and experimental tests.
The present project starts from the prior experience in the field of
biomechanics of the hand of the PIs and their recent collaboration with
the ARMS lab Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, to propose the
following objectives:
- Kinematic characterization of the healthy hand during the development
of ADL by identifying synergies (postural patterns) and their further
analysis (ranges and rates of change of the patterns).
- Identification of the role played by the muscles, both intrinsic and
extrinsic, in these synergies during ADL, by recording the EMG activity
of the different muscles that control the movement of the hand and the
analysis of their correlations.
The outcomes expected are:
- Identification of kinematic synergies used during the development of
ADL.
- Database of 'normal' synergies (postural patterns, rates and ranges)
for healthy subjects, obtained with a representative sample of tasks
and standard and adapted tools.
- Identification of the role played by muscles in the synergies of
important ADL for personal independence.
- Identification of kinematic parameters that could be candidates
(patterns, ranges and rates) to assess the functionality of injured or
pathological subjects.
- Improvement of existing biomechanical models for simulating AVD.
The results of this project can be valuable in different fields related
to health, personal independence and well-being such as the
rehabilitation and improvement of surgical treatments of the hand and
the design and development of dexterous prosthetics.
Date:
Jan.
2015-Dec. 2017
PI UJI:
Margarita
Vergara Monedero
Joaquin L.
Sancho Bru
Partners:
UJI, RIC
Funding:
Ministerio de
Economía y Competitividad
(DPI2014-52095-P)
