Measurement of Sincerity of Effort in Grip Strength Test: Instrumentation to Improve Outcome of Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorder Rehabilitation
By Sindhu, Bhagwant S.; Shechtman, Orit; Davenport, Paul W.; RESNA 26th International Annual Conference 2003,Publication Date: 2003
Study investigates the validity of a new method employed to detect sincerity of effort in clinical strength testing, which is used to predict the outcome of rehabilitation in work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The researchers hypothesize that a client relies on visual feedback rather than on perceived effort, and by changing the difficulty level of performing the same visual task, one can cause a client to exert a greater effort. The instrumentation for the study included a handgrip dynamometer, an oscilloscope, a signal processor nit, and a polygraph software system. The participant performs the grip task using visual feedback of reaching a target line on an oscilloscope by gripping the dynamometer. The target line is based on the participant’s maximum grip effort. After establishing the target line, the researcher instructs him or her to reach that line again. The investigator then changes the gain without the participant’s knowledge so that the participant has to exert twice as much effort to reach the line. Implications for evaluation and validation are discussed.
Published by: Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) (Website:http://www.resna.org)
