Grip Flashcards
Grip: Stage 1
Hand opens fully, which requires activation of the wrist and finger extensor musculature as well as the hand intrinsics
Grip: Stage 2
The fingers position around the object and close to grasp the object, which requires activation of the finger flexor musculature as well as the hand intrinsics
Grip: Stage 3
The force of the grasp is modified based on the shape, weight, fragility, and surface characteristics of the object
Grip: Stage 4
The object is released by opening the hand, which again requires activation of the extensor musculature
Power Grip
Used when a strong or forceful grip is needed and involves stabilization of the object against the palm of the hand.
-Fingers are in flexion and the wrist is in ulnar deviation and slight extension.
Cylindrical Grasp
- Power Grip
- The entire hand wraps around an object with the thumb on one side and the four fingers on the opposite side of the object
- E.g., holding a soda can
Fist Grasp
- Power Grip
- Similar to Cylindrical Grasp but involves grasping around a narrower object so that the thumb and fingers overlap.
- E.g., holding a hammer
Spherical Grasp
- Power Grip
- The entire hand wraps around a spherical object
- Differs from cylindrical grasp in that the fingers are separated and there is a greater amount of thumb opposition
- E.g., a baseball
Hook Grasp
- Power Grip
- Use of the 2nd and 3rd interphalangeal joints (though it can involve all 4 fingers) to create a hook to hold an object
- Controlled by the forearm flexors and extensors
- E.g., carrying a pail
Precision grip (aka prehension grip)
- Used when accurate and precise movements of the hand are needed.
- Involves the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints on the radial side of the hand
Three-fingered Pinch (aka digital prehension grip)
- Characterized by pulp-to-pulp contact between thumb, index and middle fingers.
- E.g., holding a pencil
Lateral Prehension Grip
- Characterized by contact between the thumb and lateral side of the index finger
- E.g., using a key
Tip Pinch (aka tip prehension grip)
- Characterized by thumb opposition so that the tip of the thumb contacts the tip of another finger.
- E.g., holding a needle
Handheld Dynamometer
- Can be used to assess the grip strength of a patient.
- A patient’s dominant grip strength is 5-10 lbs. greater than the non-dominant grip strength
Isometric Dynamometry
Measures static strength of a muscle group without any movement