Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 25, 2026
09:14
Surface Electromyographic Biofeedback as a Rehabilitation Tool for Patients with Global Brachial Plexus Injury Receiving Bionic Reconstruction
Published on: September 28, 2019
Precision grip function after hand replantation and digital nerve injury
M Schenker1, M K O Burstedt, M Wiberg
1Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Physiology and Anatomy Sections, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. micheal.schenker@dial.pipex.com
Summary
Loss of digital sensibility in the hand leads to increased grip force and altered grasp patterns. Impaired hand control strategies can even affect the unaffected hand, impacting rehabilitation outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Orthopedics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Digital sensibility is crucial for fine motor control and preventing grip failure.
- Hand injuries and nerve damage can significantly impair manual dexterity and tactile feedback.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of digital sensibility loss on precision grip function during object lifting tasks.
- To explore grip force adaptation based on tactile object shape recognition.
- To examine potential cross-transfer of motor control strategies between injured and uninjured hands.
Main Methods:
- Precision grip tasks involving lifting objects of varying weights (0.11-0.55 kg) with different grip surfaces.
- Assessment of grip force, object alignment, and slip prevention.
- Experiments involving patients with hand replantation, digital nerve injury, and healthy volunteers with induced digital anesthesia.
Main Results:
- All participants could lift objects, but those with reduced sensibility used significantly higher grip forces.
- Increased grip forces were attributed to safety margins against slips and fingertip misalignments.
- Poor clinical outcomes correlated with the unaffected hand mirroring abnormal grasp patterns of the injured hand.
Conclusions:
- Loss of digital sensibility necessitates compensatory increases in grip force, impacting manual dexterity.
- Altered motor control strategies developed for an impaired hand can influence the contralateral uninjured hand.
- Findings have implications for neurorehabilitation strategies following hand injuries.
