Factor Analysis of Motion in Wringing Out a Towel

• Published in: Journal of Physical Therapy Science Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 43 - 47
• Main Authors: Ishida, Yuji, Fujiwara, Takayuki, Fujimoto, Tetsuya, Yamamoto, Iwao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Society of Physical Therapy Science 01.01.2006; Kinki University; 近畿大学
• Subjects: ADL; Skill; Towel wringing
• ISSN: 0915-5287; 2187-5626
• DOI: 10.1589/jpts.18.43

The skills of various kinds of motion must be maintained so that activities of daily living (ADL) can be performed fluently. An important objective of Occupational Therapy is to improve a patient's ability to perform ADL. However, there are very few studies that have tried to scientifically analyze skill contributing to the quality of ADL. Therefore, we focused on the motion in wringing out of Towel, which is done frequently in ADL, and analyzed the factors that contribute to this motion. We hypothesized that the factors that contribute to this motion include the subject's age, gender, grip strength and motion pattern. These factors were analyzed. The results show that the female elderly group, although weak in hand grip strength, was able to squeeze the maximum amount of water from the towel. We speculate that this group of elderly females were most efficient at wringing the towel because this was a common household chore for them and because of this, their level of skill was the highest among all the groups.