System to measure the range of motion of the joints of the human hand

• Published in: Revista de investigacion clinica Vol. 66 Suppl 1; pp. S122 - S130
• Main Authors: Gutiérrez-Martínez, Josefina, Ortiz-Espinosa, Ascención, Hernández-Rodríguez, Pablo Rogelio, Núñez-Gaona, Marco Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Mexico 01.07.2014
• Subjects: Arthrometry, Articular - instrumentation; Arthrometry, Articular - methods; Equipment Design; Female; Hand - physiology; Humans; Male; Range of Motion, Articular - physiology; Reproducibility of Results
• ISSN: 0034-8376

Today, the manual goniometer is a common tool used in clinical practice to measure the range of motion (ROM) of joints in the hand. This device is not only tedious and highly timeconsuming to use, but its accuracy mainly depends on the experience of the examiner. The majority of electronic goniometers currently available on the market exhibit these same limitations. This document presents the physical design and attributes of a system known as the MULTIELGON, which can be used automatically to obtain multiple measurements of the angles of the hand's small finger joints simultaneously using a novel angle-to-voltage transducer. The reproducibility and repeatability of the transducer were evaluated; low dispersion and high homogeneity were demonstrated. Correlation and Bland-Altman analyses were used to compare the accuracy of the novel transducer (A) and traditional manual goniometer (B); the correlation coefficient was 0.9995. The Bland-Altman analysis determined the limits of agreement (1.4° to 1.7°) with a 95% confidence interval for any variation between the instruments (A and B), which gave readings differing by less than 3.1°. Differences were sufficiently small to propose that the manual goniometer can be replaced by the transducer; moreover A is best to evaluate the hand's small finger joints than B. The system is comprised of the device, the interface and the MULTIELGON GUI. The device consists of 14 angle-to-voltage transducers that can be attached to joints in the hand using a PVC clamp and an elastic glove. The MULTIELGON can be utilized to evaluate patients, as well as record and manage ROM data for surgical and rehabilitation decisions.