Kinematic analysis of the role of the finger tendons

In an earlier paper (Storace and Wolf, 1979), the functional anatomy of the finger was studied by considering the equilibrium of tendon forces and externally applied forces. The current work presents an alternative approach which studies the finger's functional anatomy from a kinematic viewpoint. This approach, based on measured tendon displacement, can be used to graphically display the criteria for which normal finger function will exist. Examples of the application of this procedure to normal and non-normal finger conditions are presented to demonstrate its utility.