Effective assessments to identify overuse injuries in unaffected limbs of persons with unilateral upper limb amputations.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Overuse injuries (OI) present major health problems and oftentimes, permanent disability. Persons with unilateral upper limb diagnoses, such as amputation, are at-risk for developing OI in their unaffected limbs.

Evaluation of jar lid design characteristics by older women with hand use limitations.

The study evaluated several lid design characteristics (diameter, height, top shape, side shape, and surface texture) by means of controlled laboratory testing with older women with hand function limitations. A subjective evaluation process was applied to examine main effects and interactions of lid design characteristics on usability, determined by participants' perceptions of effort and discomfort. Results showed that lid height was the most important design characteristic associated with usability.

Upper limb casting in stroke rehabilitation: rationale, options, and techniques.

Upper limb casts have been recommended for stroke survivors with moderate to severe spasticity. The objective of this article is to (a) review the rationale of 2 theoretical models that address spasticity and its consequences, (b) describe 4 casting options reported in the literature, (c) present the evidence for each cast type, and (d) suggest techniques that ensure safe and efficient fabrication of casts. This review underscores the critical need for high-evidence research on the efficacy of casting and the potential long-term benefits to this population.

Preference of lid design characteristics by older adults with limited hand function.

Introduction: Although opening jars is problematic for older adults, little is known about the best interface design for jar lids.

Purpose Of The Study: To evaluate preferences in current and new lids for persons self-reporting difficulty with opening jars.

Methods: Participants were twenty-six older females with hand pain.

Empowering elderly women with osteoarthritis through hands-on exploration of adaptive equipment concepts.

The study investigated the participation experiences of elderly women with hand limitations in a maketools-inspired activity for improving bottle openability and verified the usefulness of the results from this approach. Participatory design was used to stimulate participants' hands-on fabrication of new bottle lid concepts. Air-dry modeling clay, Crayola Model Magic® (Crayola LLC, 1100 Church Lane Easton, PA 18044-0431), clay modeling tools sets and empty bottles were the tools used to explore feasible and user-envisioned ideal lids that could potentially reduce hand pain and improve function when opening bottles.

Score reliability and construct validity of the Flinn Performance Screening Tool for adults with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Objective: We investigated the psychometric properties of the Flinn Performance Screening Tool (FPST) for people referred with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Method: An occupational therapist collected data from 46 participants who completed the Functional Status Scale (FSS) and FPST after the participants' nerve conduction velocity study to test convergent and contrasted-group validity.

Results: Seventy-four percent of the participants had abnormal nerve conduction studies.