| This study was designed to determine which of five fixed wrist alignments (straight 0°, 10° extension, 10° flexion, 10° radial deviation, and 10° ulnar deviation) would produce the least amount of motion in the other arm joints. Ten subjects were studied as they performed four activities of daily living (drinking from a cup, eating with a spoon, eating with the hand, and zipping a jacket), with and without wearing a wrist splint. Two degrees of freedom (DOF) of shoulder girdle motion, two DOF of glenohumeral motion, one DOF of elbow flexion, and one DOF of head motion were measured using a Vicon 140(TM) motion analysis system. Results showed all motions to be similar regardless of the fixed alignment. The only significant (p < .05) difference was that, for the Cup and Spoon ADLs, radial deviation resulted in approximately 7° less elbow flexion than the other alignments. These findings suggest that an optimal alignment does not exist among those tested. |
