Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2025
Capturing Representative Hand Use at Home Using Egocentric Video in Individuals with Upper Limb Impairment
Published on: December 23, 2020
Quantitative Assessment of Hand Function in Healthy Subjects and Post-Stroke Patients with the Action Research Arm
Jesus Fernando Padilla-Magaña1,2, Esteban Peña-Pitarch1, Isahi Sánchez-Suarez2
1Escola Politècnica Superior d'Enginyeria de Manresa (EPSEM), Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), 08242 Manresa, Spain.
Abstract:
The Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) can provide subjective results due to the difficulty assessing abnormal patterns in stroke patients. The aim of this study was to identify joint impairments and compensatory grasping strategies in stroke patients with left (LH) and right (RH) hemiparesis. An experimental study was carried out with 12 patients six months after a stroke (three women and nine men, mean age: 65.2 ± 9.3 years), and 25 healthy subjects (14 women and 11 men, mean age: 40.2 ± 18.1 years. The subjects were evaluated during the performance of the ARAT using a data glove. Stroke patients with LH and RH showed significantly lower flexion angles in the MCP joints of the Index and Middle fingers than the Control group. However, RH patients showed larger flexion angles in the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of the Index, Middle, Ring, and Little fingers. In contrast, LH patients showed larger flexion angles in the PIP joints of the Middle and Little fingers. Therefore, the results showed that RH and LH patients used compensatory strategies involving increased flexion at the PIP joints for decreased flexion in the MCP joints. The integration of a data glove during the performance of the ARAT allows the detection of finger joint impairments in stroke patients that are not visible from ARAT scores. Therefore, the results presented are of clinical relevance.
