Understanding the effects of hand dorsum coordinate systems on thumb metacarpal angle outcomes.

As an essential contributor to thumb and hand function, it is necessary to establish metacarpal (MC) kinematics to track thumb health and determine the efficacy of treatments. In the literature, several hand dorsum coordinate systems (CSs) have been utilized for MC angle calculations. These systems were determined using varied motion capture marker setups.

Comparing Isolated Thumb Force Generation, Wrist Rotation, and Clinical Measurements in Healthy and Osteoarthritic Individuals before and after Surgery.

Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis (OA) is caused by the degeneration of joint surfaces at the base of the thumb. If conservative treatments have failed, surgery may be needed to improve symptoms. Typically, standard clinical tools, such as the pinch gauge, are used to measure thumb force.

3D octopus kinematics of complex postures: Translation to long, thin, soft devices and their potential for clinical use.

Intro/background: Octopuses are capable of complex arm movements. Unfortunately, experimental barriers and lack of a robust analysis method made it difficult to quantify the three-dimensional (3D) kinematics of soft, flexible bodies, such as the octopus arm. This information is not only crucial for understanding the posture of the animal's arm but also for the development of similarly designed soft, flexible devices.

Kinematic Investigation of Healthy, Arthritic, and Postsurgery Thumbs: Is the Metacarpophalangeal Joint the Gateway to Carpometacarpal Arthritis?

The thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint is one of the most likely joints to develop osteoarthritis (OA). If conservative treatments fail to alleviate symptoms, surgery may be pursued. Kinematic outcomes of CMC surgery techniques have been described, but current tools have limitations in capturing motion abilities.

The Female Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint: Motion and Force Changes Due to Arthritis and Surgical Intervention.

Thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis (OA) has been one of the most common locations of hand OA. CMC OA disproportionately occurs in females over males. In severe cases, surgical intervention may be needed.

Complex motions embedded in a hand exercise regimen - effects on thumb function in participants with carpometacarpal osteoarthritis: A pilot study.

Objective: The goal of this pilot study was to identify changes associated with completion of a unique six-week hand exercise program in persons with carpometacarpal osteoarthritis.

Methods: Twenty-four individuals, aged 55-80, with doctor-diagnosed carpometacarpal osteoarthritis participated in the study. Movement data from standard clinical motions and complex multi-planar motions were obtained using a motion capture system at three-time points: an initial visit, after two weeks of hand exercises, and after completion of the six-week exercise program.

A review of the characterizations of soft tissues used in human body modeling: Scope, limitations, and the path forward.

Soft tissue material properties are vital to human body models that evaluate interactions between the human body and its environment. Such models evaluate internal stress/strain responses in soft tissues to investigate issues like pressure injuries. Numerous constitutive models and parameters have been used to represent mechanical behavior of soft tissues in biomechanical models under quasi-static loading.

Evaluating the biomechanics of an in-between posture to create a multi-posture office environment.

Background: Prolonged sitting during work is common and has been shown to cause health issues. However, changing working postures has been reported to reduce musculoskeletal issues and impact other health issues; thus, there is a need for an office environment with multiple choices of working postures.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in body position, body loading, and blood perfusion while in a seated, standing, and new office seating position, termed the in-between position.

Shoulder structure and function: The impact of osteoarthritis and rehabilitation strategies.

Study Design: Invited review.

Background: Shoulder osteoarthritis can result in significant functional deficits. To improve diagnosis and treatment, we must better understand the impact of osteoarthritis on shoulder biomechanics and the known mechanical benefits of currently available treatments.

Multimodal characterization of Yucatan minipig behavior and physiology through maturation.

Brain injuries induced by external forces are particularly challenging to model experimentally. In recent decades, the domestic pig has been gaining popularity as a highly relevant animal model to address the pathophysiological mechanisms and the biomechanics associated with head injuries. Understanding cognitive, motor, and sensory aspects of pig behavior throughout development is crucial for evaluating cognitive and motor deficits after injury.

Shifting loads as a result of chair articulations and associated perfusion responses in the context of pressure injuries: An investigation with able-bodied individuals.

Wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries experience pressure injuries at high rates, causing a decrease in quality of life and an increased financial burden. The soft tissue in the buttocks (beneath the ischial tuberosities) and lower back (behind the sacrum) experience large interface pressures over long periods while seated, putting them at high risk of pressure injury development. The goals of this research were to evaluate the ability of an articulating chair design to redistribute pressures on the body and to affect blood perfusion in the buttocks tissue over the ischial tuberosities.

Key Components Related to Pressure Injury Formation: An Initial Investigation Into Pressure Distribution and Blood Perfusion Responses in Wheelchair Users.

Soft tissue around bony prominences in the buttocks and back are high-risk areas prone to the development of pressure injuries. From a clinical perspective, prevention of pressure injuries all together is the ideal situation. Unfortunately, prevalence rates still reach 47% with recurrence rates even higher.

Mobility challenges and perceptions of autonomous vehicles for individuals with physical disabilities.

Background: Individuals with physical disabilities face many challenges, especially with mobility. Transportation plays a key role in an individual's health as it provides the access to critical services such as medical visits. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) can be one possible solution to increase transportation accessibility.

Tissue matters: In-vivo tissue properties of persons with spinal cord injuries to inform clinical models for pressure ulcer prevention.

The prevalence of pressure ulcers in patients with spinal cord injuries has been estimated to be between 30% and 47%. Individuals with spinal cord injuries sit for a majority of the time, increasing the risk of developing pressure ulcers in the buttocks and thighs due to large internal stresses. Human body models have been developed to study the formation of pressure ulcers, yet a persistent limitation in these models has been the material properties used to represent the soft tissues in the buttocks and thighs.

Determining Isolated Thumb Forces in Osteoarthritic and Healthy Persons.

Carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis (OA) can dramatically impair thumb function resulting in the inability to complete basic tasks. Development of a method to detect thumb forces changes is essential to understand of the progression of carpometacarpal osteoarthritis and the effects of treatment. The goals of this study were to (1) develop a method to measure thumb forces in multiple directions, (2) perform an initial demonstration of this method on three populations, young healthy (YH), older healthy (OH), and older participants with carpometacarpal osteoarthritis, and (3) determine the effects of short-term exercises on thumb force production in these pilot groups.

The effects of body position on the material properties of soft tissue in the human thigh.

Forty percent of patients with a spinal cord injury acquire a pressure ulcer during rehabilitation, and sixty percent of individuals in elderly care facilities have at least one pressure ulcer upon admittance. A commonality between those populations is the increased amount of time they spend in the seated position. The loading on the buttocks and thighs while in the seated position has been cited as a risk factor for pressure ulcer formation, especially for wheelchair users.

Comfortable leg splay of mid-sized males in automotive seats.

Many factors affect the comfort of automotive seats including pressure distribution, vibration, temperature, and backrest inclination. However, one aspect of seating that has not been well studied is leg splay; splay is a rotation at the hips which causes the knees to move outward. The work presented here identified the ranges of "comfortable" splay in different styles of seats and related changes in seating pressure due to leg splay.

Complex thumb motions and their potential clinical value in identifying early changes in function.

Background: Early diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis of the thumb allows for early interventions that may mitigate osteoarthritis progression and decrease severity later in life. Early identification of motion changes is limited by the clinical reliance on single planar measurements using goniometry. Multi-planar measurements using motion capture can provide insights into joint function and pathophysiology that cannot be obtained from single-plane goniometry measurements.

Inverse finite element characterization of the human thigh soft tissue in the seated position.

Pressure ulcers are localized damage to the skin and underlying tissues caused by sitting or lying in one position for a long time. Stresses within the soft tissue of the thigh and buttocks area play a crucial role in the initiating mechanism of these wounds. Therefore, it is crucial to develop reliable finite element models to evaluate the stresses caused by physiological loadings.

Influences of sodium and glycosaminoglycans on skin oedema and the potential for ulceration: a finite-element approach.

Venous ulcers are chronic transcutaneous wounds common in the lower legs. They are resistant to healing and have a 78% chance of recurrence within 2 years. It is commonly accepted that venous ulcers are caused by the insufficiency of the calf muscle pump, leading to blood pooling in the lower legs, resulting in inflammation, skin oedema, tissue necrosis and eventually skin ulceration.

Evaluating shear and normal force with the use of an instrumented transtibial socket: A case study.

Patients with transtibial amputation experience ulcers on their residual limb. The loading between the device and underlying material plays a role in loads transmitted to the skin. The objective was to evaluate normal and shear forces at the socket/liner interface during walking.

Mapping Together Kinetic and Kinematic Abilities of the Hand.

Millions of people have reduced hand function; this loss of function can be due to injury, disease, or aging. Loss of hand function is identified as reduced motion abilities in the fingers or a decrease in the ability of the fingers to generate force. Unfortunately, there are limited data available regarding each finger's ability to produce force and how those force characteristics vary with changes in finger posture.

A method for quantifying key components of the opening process for opening pouch-style packages containing medical devices.

Healthcare-associated infections are a serious worldwide health concern. Although contaminated medical devices are an avenue for infection, little research has evaluated the techniques used to open sterile packages. The goal of this study was to develop a method to quantify aspects of the package opening process in accordance with opening guidelines and then to demonstrate this methodology through a small sample of clinicians opening two sizes of pouch-style packages.

Reducing levels of medical device contamination through package redesign and opening technique.

Objectives: The goal of this research was to evaluate how material curl, package structure and handling of pouches containing medical devices affect rates of contact between non-sterile surfaces and sterile devices during aseptic transfer.

Methods: One hundred and thirty-six individuals with practical experience in aseptic technique were recruited. Participants were asked to present the contents of four different pouch designs (a standard, one designed to curl in, another to curl out and one that incorporated a tab) using two transfer techniques.