Grip force control and hand dexterity are impaired in individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Author(s)

de Almeida Lima, Kaue Carvalho ^{[1, 2]} ; Borges, Leandro da Silva ^{[1, 2]} ; Hatanaka, Elaine ^{[1, 2]} ; Rolim, Luiz Clemente ^[3] ; de Freitas, Paulo Barbosa ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Cruzeiro do Sul Univ, Inst Phys Act & Sports Sci, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Cruzeiro do Sul Univ, Interdisciplinary Grad Program Hlth Sci, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Diabet Ctr, Endocrinol Div, Escola Paulista Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Neuroscience Letters; v. 659, p. 54-59, OCT 17 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) affects the sensory function of the hands and, consequently, may negatively impact hand dexterity, maximum grip strength (GS(Max)), and hand grip force (GF) control during object manipulation. The aims of this study were to examine and compare the GF control during a simple holding task as well as GS(Max) and hand dexterity of individuals with DPN and healthy controls. Ten type 2 diabetic individuals diagnosed with DPN and ten age- and gender-matched healthy controls performed two traditional timed hand dexterity tests (i.e., nine-hole peg test and Jebsen-Taylor hand function test), a GS(Max) test, and a GF control test (i.e., hold a instrumented handle). The results indicated that individuals with DPN and controls produced similar GS(Max). However, individuals with DPN took longer to perform the hand dexterity tests and set lower safety margin (exerted lower GF) than controls when holding the handle. The findings showed that mild to moderate DPN did not significantly affect maximum hand force generation, but does impair hand dexterity and hand GF control, which could impair the performance of daily living manipulation tasks and put them in risk of easily dropping handheld objects. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/26397-7 - The effects of peripheral diabetic neuropathy on the control and coordination of forces acting on the digits-object interaction during object manipulation and their relationship with electrophysiological parameters
• Grantee: Paulo Barbosa de Freitas Júnior
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/02939-4 - Hand function in neuropathic diabetic patients: control and coordination of forces acting on the digits-object interaction in manipulation tasks
• Grantee: Paulo Barbosa de Freitas Júnior
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants