Project Director

Hamilton, Kara

Department Examiner

Levine, David; McDonald, Susan

Department

Dept. of Health and Human Performance

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) often experience functional deficits that impair range of motion (ROM) in their hands and fingers. Daily tasks like opening jars and eating become more difficult and painful for individuals with RA because they lack the grip strength and adequate ROM to perform these activities. Because of this, efforts have been made to accommodate decreasing functionality due to decreased ROM. Adaptive utensils are currently being explored as a potential aid for hand and finger functional deficits. This study sought to quantify the ROM needed for individuals with RA to grip the handles of adaptive utensils of varying diameters to better understand the advantages that such devices might have for this population. Thirty-eight individuals representing seventy-six hands were recruited for this study. The ROM of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint, and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint was measured using an electrogoniometer for fingers 2-5. The MCP and interphalangeal (IP) joints were measured for the thumb. The measurements were repeated using three spoons: standard handle, built-up 1-inch (2.54 cm) handle, and built-up 1.5-inch (3.81 cm) handle. A repeated measures ANOVA yielded significant differences for all joints between the three handle conditions except for the 1st MCP joint, which found a significant difference between the dominant and non-dominant sides. It was found that as spoon handle diameter increased, the ROM required for individuals to grip the spoons decreased. These findings could potentially benefit those with RA and other impairments who might be aided through the use of adaptive and built-up utensils.

Acknowledgments

Dr. Kara Hamilton, Dr. David Levine, Dr. Susan McDonald, Hensley Barnes, Caroline Craig, Sally Langager, Anna Cornett Owenby

IRB Number

17-117

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2019

Subject

Rheumatoid arthritis -- Patients -- Rehabilitation; Self-help devices for people with disabilities

Keyword

Rheumatoid arthritis; Adaptive utensils; Range of motion; Adaptive silverware; Joint; Hand and finger

Discipline

Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment

Document Type

Theses

Extent

21 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

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