Effects of task-oriented activities on hand functions in patients with hand injuries

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of task-oriented activities on hand functions in patients with hand injuries. From December 2011 to October 2012, sixteen patients with hand injuries at C Hospital in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea were randomly divided into two groups. One group was subjected to task-oriented activity and the other to general exercise. Two groups performed each activity once a day, three times a week, for four weeks. The group with the task-oriented activities was provided with the tasks according to subject-preference based on the result of Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). To verify the effect of intervention, the following hand function measures were used: grip strength, pinch strength, and the range of opposition and abduction, Purdue pegboard test and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH). Both groups showed significant increase in all of the hand function measures after 4-week activities(p<.05). The task-oriented activity group was significantly different from the control group in powers for tip pinch, lateral pinch and three-jaw chuck pinch, Purdue pegboard test and DASH(p<.05) except in grip strength and the range of opposition and abduction suggesting better improvement in hand functions. This study shows that task-oriented activities improve the hand functions more effectively in patients with hand injuries.