Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Sep;7(3):335-40.
doi: 10.1007/s11552-012-9434-0.

Hand function in female patients with hand osteoarthritis: relation with radiological progression

Esma Ceceli  1 , Sebahat Gül, Pınar Borman, Selma Ramadan Uysal, Müyesser Okumuş
Affiliations

Hand function in female patients with hand osteoarthritis: relation with radiological progression

Esma Ceceli et al. Hand (N Y). 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effect of hand osteoarthritis (HOA) on hand strength, dexterity, and upper extremity functional scores, as well as to determine the relation of radiological severity of HOA with these parameters.

Methods: Sixty patients and 40 controls were enrolled in the study. The presence of hand pain, nodes, and tenderness in hand joints was determined. Grip and pinch strengths were measured by Jamar dynamometer and pinch meter, dexterity was assessed by Purdue pegboard test, and upper extremity function was determined by disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) test. Hand radiographs were evaluated according to the Kallman grading scale.

Results: The mean age of the patients and control subjects were 58.9 ± 4.8 and 56.6 ± 5.8 years, respectively. The level of hand pain and tenderness, and the number of nodes were significantly higher in the patient group than in control subjects. The mean grip and pinch strengths were lower in the patient group,: however, the difference was significant only in left lateral and left three chuck pinch. In hand dexterity, all scores except Purdue 1 were significantly lower in the patient group. In the functional evaluation DASH outcome, questionnaire scores of the patient and control groups were 48.3 ± 26.3 and 39.5 ± 23.5, respectively (p > 0.05). In the patient group, Kallman scores indicating radiological severity were found to be correlated with age, DASH scores, grip and pinch strengths, and Purdue scores (except Purdue assembly). Pain by visual analog scale was significantly higher in the patient group and correlated significantly with DASH scores.

Conclusion: In patients with HOA, using standardized tests for evaluations may not be adequate. The determination of grip-pinch strength, dexterity and functional disability will lead to a clearer definition of the needs of the patients and will likely increase the gains from the rehabilitation programs.

Keywords: Elderly; Grip strength; Hand dexterity; Hand osteoarthritis; X-ray.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Grip and pinch strengths. JR Jamar right, JL Jamar left, PTR pinch tip-to-tip right, PTL pinch tip-to-tip left, PLR pinch lateral right, PLL pinch lateral left, PThR pinch three chuck right, PThL pinch three chuck left
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Purdue scores of the patients and controls
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Altman RD, Alarcon G, Appelrouth D, Bloch D, Borenstein D, Brandt K, et al. The American College of Rheumatology criteria for classification and reporting og osteoarthritis of the hand. Arthritis Rheum. 1990;33:1601–1610. doi: 10.1002/art.1780331101. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bagis S, Sahin G, Yapici Y, Cimen ÖB, Erdogan C. The effect of hand osteoarthritis on grip and pinch strength and hand function in postmenopausal women. Clin Rheumatol. 2003;22(6):420–424. doi: 10.1007/s10067-003-0792-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baron M, Dutil E, Berkson L, Lander P, Becker R. Hand function in elderly: relation to osteoarthritis. J Rheum. 1987;14(4):815–819. - PubMed
    1. Bellamy N, Sothern RB, Campbell J, Buchanan WW. Rhytmic variation in pain, stiffness and manual dexterity in hand osteoarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2002;61(12):1075–1080. doi: 10.1136/ard.61.12.1075. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Buddenberg LA, Davis C. Test retest reliability of the Purdue pegboard test. Am J Occup Ther. 2000;54(5):555–558. doi: 10.5014/ajot.54.5.555. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources