Hand Function

This book is a practical, clinical book which provides the knowledge needed to distinguish the different dimensions of hand function, particularly impairment, disability, and handicap. The hand plays a vital and sophisticated role in our daily activities. Accurate assessment of hand function is critical to any treatment regimen of the hand compromised patient, but it remains complex and controversial. This book aims to aid in accurate, practical evaluation of function and interpretation of outcomes. This extensively updated third edition begins with the basic principles of hand function: anatomy and biomechanics of the hand, followed by examination of the hand and assessment of hand function. The second section discusses the evaluation of hand function in specific populations, such as those affected by different forms of arthritis, stoke, injuries, congenital disorders, and metabolic disorders. New chapters cover hand function in patients with lymphoedema,autoimmune myopathies, and burn wounds. The subsequent sections cover robotics and assistive technology and imaging outcomes. The book closes with an appendix containing several hand function scales that are essential to the assessment of disability. Rheumatologists, neurologists, physiatrists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, hand surgeons, orthopedists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists caring for patients with impaired hand function will all find the third edition of Hand Function: A Practical Guide to Assessment a useful and valuable addition to their clinical references.