Article

Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that results in hand pain and disability. It
is important to understand how muscle function impairments contribute to impaired
dexterity. PURPOSE : To compare muscle activation in women with and
without hand OA and determine if the activation relates to measures of impairment
and disability. METHODS: Electromyography (EMG) was recorded from four muscles of
the hand/forearm while subjects threaded (assembly) and unthreaded (disassembly)
a small bolt. The groups were compared on the integrated EMG (IEMG) of four
muscles using two-way repeated-measures analyses of covariance for the assembly
and disassembly tasks. RESULTS: No differences were found in muscle activation
between groups when IEMG values were normalized by time (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
Patients with OA have some indicators of altered muscle function. It is unclear
whether these are adaptive or predisposing changes. When controlling for the time
to perform a task, there were no significant IEMG differences between women with
hand OA and control subjects. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights
reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS