Grip function of the healthy hand in a standardized hand function test. A study of the Rancho Los Amigos test

In an experimental study 30 healthy subjects performed the tests of prehensile function in the Rancho Los Amigos test. The subjects were allowed a free choice of grip instead of those prescribed when the test is used for clinical purposes. The hand-grips were filmed and registered by means of a descriptive code system and the results were subjected to automatic data processing. The results showed that healthy subjects performing the RLA test used a stereo-typed grip pattern as a consequence of the uniform purpose of the hand-grips. Comparison with the results from a standardized meal study in the same subjects showed that functional assessment of a patient with a test of this type is not directly applicable to integrated daily activities, as several of the hand-grips most frequent in daily activities were rarely used. Comparison with types of grip prescribed for clinical use of the test showed that normal subjects often did not spontaneously handle the objects in the manner intended by the test.