Osteoarthritis

P142 - The Aging Human Hand and Interphalangeal Arthritis Patterns – a Cadaveric Study

Disclosure
No Significant Commercial Relationship
Presentation Topic
Osteoarthritis
Poster Rating
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Abstract

Purpose

The movements allowing grasping in the human hand are based on the arch principle. This principle implies that in order to perform proper grasp the so-called stable arch is complimented by the so-called mobile arch in order to complete the force transfer in the human grip.

Human longevity combined with the advent of numerous tasks tackled by the human hand have brought about a rise in osteoarthritis of the hand. The biomechanical and kinetic patterns of force transfer through the human hand have been previously investigated, yet their translation into pathogenesis of osteoarthritis has not been addressed to date.

Methods and Materials

We performed a cadaveric study assessing twelve cadaver hands and 144 digital joints. The hands were meticulously dissected, and the distal articular surface of each joint was photographed in the desired plane and assessed using a software built specifically for arthritic area assessment.

Results

We found a statistically significant difference in radial vs. ulnar pattern of joint arthritis in the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) of the digits comprising the stable (digits 2 &3) vs. the mobile (digits 3 &4) arch of the hand. Moreover, our findings show that the PIPJ is more prone to arthritis as compared to the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ). Arthritis related to force transfer was more prominent in the more rigid joints.

Conclusion

Our findings corroborate the occurrence of osteoarthritis in the human hand according to grip and grasp patterns. We believe that as the population ages hand osteoarthritis will become more prevalent. The human hand has never, in the history of mankind, survived so long and used so much as in this era. Our study shows arthritis, though apparently inevitable over time, to be tied to force transfer and hand structure after all.

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