Occupational Therapist Test Hand Therapy and Upper Extremity Flashcards

The Kapandji opposition score is used in hand therapy to measure:

Answer: Functional thumb opposition range

The Kapandji score (0-10) measures functional thumb opposition by recording which specific digit location the thumb can contact, from index finger to ulnar little finger base.

Conservative OT management of trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis) includes:

Answer: MCP blocking splint and avoidance of forceful repetitive gripping

A trigger finger splint blocks full MCP flexion to prevent the flexor tendon nodule from catching at the A1 pulley, while activity modification reduces inflammation.

A client with radial nerve palsy following a humeral shaft fracture will primarily present with:

Answer: Wrist drop due to loss of wrist and finger extension

The radial nerve innervates the wrist and digit extensors; injury at the mid-humerus causes wrist drop and inability to extend the fingers.

Phalen's Test is a clinical provocative test used to diagnose:

Answer: Carpal tunnel syndrome

Phalen's test (sustained wrist flexion for up to 60 seconds) reproduces median nerve compression symptoms; numbness in the median distribution constitutes a positive result.

De Quervain's tenosynovitis involves inflammation of which tendons?

Answer: Abductor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis

De Quervain's affects the first dorsal compartment tendons (APL and EPB) as they pass through a tight fibro-osseous tunnel at the radial styloid.

Which instrument provides the most standardized and reliable measure of grip strength in occupational therapy hand assessment?

Answer: Jamar Hydraulic Dynamometer at position 2

The Jamar Hydraulic Dynamometer at handle position 2 (28 mm span) is the clinical gold standard for grip strength measurement, with robust normative data by age and sex.