2018 Volume 3 Pages 209-214
The fingers are capable of extremely fine motions, and they play a critical role in everyday activities. Movements of the fingers that occur frequently during activities of daily living (ADLs) include pinching and grasping. For pinching, the thumb is in an opposing position, and in most instances, either the index or middle finger is used. For grasping, the fingers are completely flexed. By acting in an opposing position during these movements, the thumb enables the hand to perform its role in a normal manner. In clinical practice, the interphalangeal (IP) joint of the thumb is a common location where arthritis and other inflammatory diseases tend to occur because of the excessive burden on this joint. Therefore, understanding the articulating surface motion of the joint is important. The authors used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the variation in contact area and contact distribution of the in vivo IP joints of the thumb in static joint angles during ADLs. The aim of the present study was to analyze in vivo movement using MRI to examine the cartilage contact and three-dimensional motion of the IP joint of the thumb during ADLs.
