Establishing a reproducible protocol for measuring index active extension strength.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Musculoskeletal Research
• Hand Function Assessment

Background:

• Accurate measurement of index finger extension strength is crucial for clinical assessment and rehabilitation.
• Existing protocols may lack reproducibility or fail to differentiate between independent and dependent index finger movements.
• Understanding the influence of hand dominance on index finger strength is important for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a reproducible protocol for measuring active index finger extension strength.
• To correlate index finger extension strength with other finger contraction forces and assess the role of hand dominance.
• To evaluate the reproducibility of the developed measurement protocol.

Main Methods:

• A protocol was developed to measure independent and dependent index finger extension strength using a dynamometer.
• Measurements were taken on 24 healthy volunteers (19 women, 20 right-handed) by three examiners on two separate days.
• Intra-examiner and inter-examiner reliability were assessed.

Main Results:

• The developed protocol demonstrated high intra-examiner (>0.90) and inter-examiner (>0.75) reproducibility.
• Independent index extension strength was found to be lower than dependent strength.
• No significant differences in either independent or dependent index extension strength were observed between dominant and non-dominant hands.

Conclusions:

• The established protocol is reproducible for measuring both independent and dependent index finger extension strength.
• Hand dominance does not appear to influence index finger extension strength.
• This reliable protocol can be utilized for clinical and research applications in hand function assessment.