title: Upper limb injuries and handedness plasticity.
abstract: In a questionnaire survey of 9591 men between 17 and 27 years of age, there was an association between present handedness score and report of an earlier injury causing a temporary shift of hand use. The proportion of weak right-handers was higher among those who reported injuries. Overall, there was no association between left-handedness and injuries. Nevertheless, injuries occurring before the school attendance age, which concerned only a very small fraction of the respondents, were associated with an increased frequency of left-handedness. The data emphasize the plasticity of human handedness, and do not suggest that innate left- or non-right-handedness is a risk factor for accident occurrence.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U169: Recherches en Epidémiologie, Villejuif, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dellatolas
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jallon
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lellouch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001134:Arm Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires