Article

OBJECTIVES: To determine intermanual transfer effects in patients with a
below-elbow amputation using a myoelectric prosthesis and to establish whether
laterality affects these effects. DESIGN: Case-control.
SETTING: A standardized
setting in a rehabilitation clinic. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample (N=44) of
experienced myoelectric prosthesis users (n=22) and matched controls (n=22).
Controls were matched on sex, age (+/-5y), and hand dominance. INTERVENTIONS:
Both the experienced group and the control group performed several tasks using a
prosthesis simulator attached to their nonaffected arm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Movement time, force control, Box and Block test (BBT) scores, and duration of
hand opening. RESULTS: Movement times of myoelectric prosthesis users were
shorter, and these users had significantly higher BBT scores and shorter hand
opening durations than those of controls. No intermanual transfer effects on
force control and no laterality effects were found. CONCLUSIONS: Intermanual
transfer effects were present in experienced myoelectric prosthesis users with a
below-elbow amputation, independent of laterality. These findings support the
clinical relevance of intermanual transfer training, which may facilitate persons
with an upper limb amputation to start training directly after the amputation.
CI - Copyright (c) 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS