Quantification of hand functional recovery in spinal cord injury patients

This study explores how a simple circle-tracing task can help measure hand function recovery in patients with cervical spinal cord injuries. The study looks at both accuracy of tracing and the pressure applied while tracing. Ten patients with cervical spinal cord injuries and ten healthy individuals participated, performing the tracing task at the start and after four weeks. The study measured tracing accuracy and pen pressure, alongside clinical assessments. The findings suggest that pen pressure measurements can highlight specific functional deficits in SCI patients and track recovery over time, offering a potential tool for tailoring rehabilitation interventions.

• 1
  Significant differences were found in pen pressure profiles in SCI patients between the initial assessment and after 4 weeks, indicating improvement.
• 2
  SCI patients applied less pressure compared to controls during the circle-tracing task.
• 3
  SCI patients showed a more oscillating and direction-dependent pen pressure profile compared to controls.