title: A wrist tendon travel assessment of hand movements associated with industrial repetitive activities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate slow and fast paced industrial activity hand repetitive movements associated with carpal tunnel syndrome where movements are evaluated based on finger and wrist tendon travel measurements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine healthy subjects were recruited for the study aged between 23 and 33 years. Participants mimicked an industrial repetitive task by performing the following activities: wrist flexion and extension task, palm open and close task; and pinch task. Each task was performed for a period of 5 minutes at a slow (0.33 Hz) and fast (1 Hz) pace for a duration of 3 minutes and 2 minutes respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tendon displacement produced higher flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) tendon travel when compared to the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) tendons. The left hand mean (SD) tendon travel for the FDS tendon and FDP tendon were 11108 (5188) mm and 9244 (4328) mm while the right hand mean tendon travel (SD) for the FDS tendon and FDP tendon were 9225 (3441) mm and 7670 (2856) mm respectively. Of the three tasks mimicking an industrial repetitive activity, the wrist flexion and extension task produced the most tendon travel.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings may be useful to researchers in classifying the level of strenuous activity in relation to tendon travel.
authors.affiliation: HealthQWest, Bioengineering Unit, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. u.c.ugbolue@strath.ac.uk
authors.forename: U Chris
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Ugbolue
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Nicol
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D053587:Arthrometry, Articular / Q000295:instrumentation; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013710:Tendons / Q000502:physiology*; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000502:physiology*