Using the force-time curve to determine sincerity of effort in people with upper extremity injuries. J Hand Ther 2011;24(1):22-9; quiz 30
Date
11/06/2010Pubmed ID
21050713DOI
10.1016/j.jht.2010.07.005Scopus ID
2-s2.0-79251594349 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 11 CitationsAbstract
UNLABELLED: This was a prospective cohort study. In a previous study, the slopes of the force-time (F-T) curve were shown to differentiate between maximal and submaximal grip effort in healthy participants. The objective of the study was to examine if the slopes of the F-T curve can determine the sincerity of effort in people with upper extremity injuries. Forty participants with unilateral upper extremity injury performed maximal and submaximal grip efforts. The F-T curve was recorded, and the slopes of the force-generation and force-decay phases were calculated. Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed significantly steeper slopes for maximal than those for submaximal efforts. However, receiver operating characteristic curves showed that, at best, the slope of the force-generation phase yielded overall error rates of 55% for women and 60% for men. Therefore, sensitivity and specificity values were insufficient to effectively differentiate maximal from submaximal efforts. The slopes of the F-T curve did not validly measure the sincerity of effort in participants with upper extremity injury, perhaps, because they were protective of their injured hand and, thus, exerted only submaximal effort even at their best grip attempt.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Not applicable.
Author List
Sindhu BS, Shechtman OAuthor
Bhagwant Sindhu BS,MS,PhD Assistant Professor in the Occupational Science & Technology department at University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Arm Injuries
Biomechanical Phenomena
Female
Hand Strength
Humans
Male
Malingering
Middle Aged
Physical Exertion
Predictive Value of Tests
Sensitivity and Specificity
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
