An Analysis of Tetraplegic Hand Grips

Abstract

To investigate the aspects involved in using the hands successfully to grasp an object, 30 British people with complete C6, C7 or C8 tetraplegia who had been injured for more than 12 months were divided into three groups according to their level of injury. The results indicated differences between the participants depending on their level of injury in the types of pre-grip preparation used, whether one or both hands were used and the speed with which a subtest was completed. These were considered intrinsic to the successful use of the hands when grasping objects. It is suggested that the aspects identified in this research could be used to formulate guidelines to be used by clients and therapists within a tetraplegic hand rehabilitation programme.