Motor control theories improve biomechanical model of the hand for finger pressing tasks.

Florent Paclet, Franck Quaine
Journal of Biomechanics. 2012-04-01; 45(7): 1246-1251
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2012.01.038

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1. J Biomech. 2012 Apr 30;45(7):1246-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2012.01.038. Epub
2012 Feb 20.

Motor control theories improve biomechanical model of the hand for finger
pressing tasks.

Paclet F(1), Quaine F.

Author information:
(1)GIPSA-Laboratory, CNRS UMR 5216, Control System Department, SAIGA Team,
Grenoble University, France.

BACKGROUND: Biomechanical models are a useful tool to estimate tendon tensions.
Unfortunately, in previous fingers’ models, each finger acts independently from
the others. This is contradictory with hand motor control theories which show
that fingers are functionally linked in order to balance the wrist/forearm joint
with minimal tendon tensions. (i.e. principle of minimization of the secondary
moments). We propose to adapt a hand biomechanical model according to this
principle by including the wrist joint. We will determine whether the finger
tendon tensions changed with the wrist joint added to the model.
METHODS: Two models have been tested: one considering fingers independently
(model A) and one with the fingers mechanically linked by the inclusion of the
wrist balance (model B). A single set of data, additional results from the
literature and in-vivo values have been used to compare the results.
RESULTS: Model A corroborates previous results in the literature. Contrast
results were obtained with model B, especially for the Ring and Little fingers.
Different tendon tensions were obtained, particularly, in finger extensor muscles
critical to balance the wrist.
DISCUSSION: We discuss the biomechanical results in accordance with the
hand/finger motor control theories. It appears that the wrist joint balance is
critical for finger tendon tension estimation. When including the wrist joint
into finger models, the tendon tension estimations agree well with the
minimization of secondary moments and the force deficit.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2012.01.038
PMID: 22356843 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Auteurs Bordeaux Neurocampus