An introductory study of common grasps used by adults during performance of activities of daily living

• Published in: Journal of hand therapy Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 225 - 234
• Main Authors: Vergara, Margarita, PhD, Eng, Sancho-Bru, J.L., PhD, Eng, Gracia-Ibáñez, V., MSc, Eng, Pérez-González, A., PhD, Eng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-07-2014; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Biomechanics; Daily life activities; Female; Field study; Fingers & toes; Frequency of grasps; Grasp taxonomy; Hand Strength; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motor Activity; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Prostheses; Reference Values; Rehabilitation; Right and left hand; Simultaneous use of hands; Task Performance and Analysis; Young Adult; Elementary grasp action; Daily life activities; Frequency of grasps; Activities of daily living; Right and left hand; ADL; American Time Use Survey; EGA; Grasp taxonomy; Simultaneous use of hands; ATUS
• ISSN: 0894-1130; 1545-004X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jht.2014.04.002

Abstract This paper presents the results of a descriptive survey on human grasps. Sixty-four videos were selected to represent tasks performed in the main areas of activities of daily living (ADL) (personal care, meal preparation, eating, housekeeping, etc.). All the participants were right-handed. Elementary grasps were identified for each hand, and the grasp type (from a 9-type classification), the hands involved, and the duration were registered for each case. The results show that the most commonly used grasps are: pinch, non-prehensile, cylindrical, lateral pinch and lumbrical. The presence of these grasps in the areas of ADL is, however, very different (e.g., pinch is widely used in food preparation and very little in driving). Some grasps were used more frequently with one hand or when both hands were used simultaneously (e.g., special pinch was hardly used by the left hand). Knowing the grasp types most frequently used in ADL is essential to be able to assess grasp rehabilitation processes or hand prostheses development.