Affiliations 

  • 1 Medical Devices and Technology Group (MEDITEG), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor, Malaysia
  • 2 Bio-signal Processing Group (BSP), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor, Malaysia
  • 3 Neuro-Musculoskeletal and Pain Research Unit, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • 4 Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University, Kedah, Malaysia
  • 5 Institute of Human Centered Engineering (IHCE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor, Malaysia
Eval Health Prof, 2019 03;42(1):103-113.
PMID: 28868907 DOI: 10.1177/0163278717727568

Abstract

An accurate measurement of intrinsic hand muscle strength (IHMS) is required by clinicians for effective clinical decision-making, diagnosis of certain diseases, and evaluation of the outcome of treatment. In practice, the clinicians use Intrins-o-meter and Rotterdam Intrinsic Hand Myometer for IHMS measurement. These are quite bulky, expensive, and possess poor interobserver reliability (37-52%) and sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to develop an alternative lightweight, accurate, cost-effective force measurement device with a simple electronic circuit and test its suitability for IHMS measurement. The device was constructed with ketjenblack/deproteinized natural rubber sensor, 1-MΩ potential divider, and Arduino Uno through the custom-written software. Then, the device was calibrated and tested for accuracy and repeatability within the force range of finger muscles (100 N). The 95% limit of agreement in accuracy from -1.95 N to 2.06 N for 10 to 100 N applied load and repeatability coefficient of ±1.91 N or 6.2% was achieved. Furthermore, the expenditure for the device construction was around US$ 53. For a practical demonstration, the device was tested among 16 participants for isometric strength measurement of the ulnar abductor and dorsal interossei. The results revealed that the performance of the device was suitable for IHMS measurement.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.