Measures of Maximal Tactile Pressures during a Sustained Grasp Task Using a TactArray Device Have Satisfactory...

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Instrumentation

Background:

• Grip strength assessment is crucial for stroke rehabilitation.
• Traditional methods may not fully capture dynamic grasp characteristics.
• Sensor-based devices offer enhanced quantification of pressure and force over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and concurrent validity of the TactArray device.
• To assess maximal tactile pressures and forces during sustained grasps in individuals post-stroke.
• To determine the device's utility in both affected and less affected hands, with and without vision.

Main Methods:

• 11 participants with stroke performed 8-second maximal sustained grasps.
• TactArray device measured maximal tactile pressures and forces.
• Reliability assessed using mean changes, CVs, and ICCs across sessions (within/between-day) and vision conditions.
• Concurrent validity evaluated against grip strength using Pearson correlation.

Main Results:

• The TactArray demonstrated good to very good reliability for maximal tactile pressures, particularly for the mean of three trials over 8 seconds.
• Reliability was satisfactory in the affected hand across most conditions and in the less affected hand for between-day sessions.
• Maximal tactile pressures showed moderate correlations with traditional grip strength measures.

Conclusions:

• The TactArray device exhibits satisfactory reliability and concurrent validity for measuring maximal tactile pressures in people with stroke.
• This sensor-based approach provides a more comprehensive assessment of grip function.
• Findings support the use of TactArray in stroke rehabilitation for objective grip strength evaluation.