A new type of chopsticks for patients with impaired hand function.

Abstract

To present a method for adapting chopsticks to persons with hand impairments and to compare the efficiency of the adapted chopsticks with spoons among adults with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Equipment development and pilot evaluation. Rehabilitation center. Two adults with complete C8-level SCI and 9 adults with incomplete SCI from the C6 to C8 level. Not applicable. Instructions for adapting chopsticks and the time to pick up and manipulate 4 types of food (noodle strips, cubed carrots, unshelled peanuts, tofu cube) by using adapted chopsticks as compared with spoons. The mean time for manipulating tofu was comparable between the adapted chopsticks and spoon, but the adapted chopsticks were sufficiently faster than spoons for noodle strips, carrots, and unshelled peanuts. Adapted chopsticks convert gross grasp into 2-point pinch. They are inexpensive, easily constructed, and may benefit patients with lower cervical SCI and residual gross grasp.