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    An Association Between Translation and Hand Dominance
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-04-08) Berkman, Traci
    Many tests are available for measuring and evaluating hand function. These tests measure manual dexterity, requiring arm-hand coordination and using the hand as a unit. Translation, a task requiring moving an object from the palm to fingertips, is grossly overlooked in literature and there are no available tests to measure this task in adults. Translation has been studied in adolescents to determine if dysfunction in translation relates to motor delay, but has not been studied in adults or injured populations. The purpose of this study is to determine if translation plays a role in return of full function to an injured dominant hand. The researchers hypothesize that an association exists between switching hand dominance after an injury to the dominant hand and the inability to translate an object. To test the hypothesis two questionnaires were administered to the subjects (verbal and written) to determine hand dominance and three performance tasks were completed: 1) Functional Dexterity Test (FDT), 2) The Minnesota Placing Test, and 3) The Translation Task. Independent t-tests and a chi-square test of independence were used to analyze the data. No significant difference was found between the two groups (Switched Dominance and Did Not Switch Dominance) for the Minnesota Placing Test (p=0.229). Significant Difference was found between groups for the Functional Dexterity Test (p=0.001). The chi-square of independence showed that switching dominance was dependent on the ability to translate. The data suggests that another component, specifically translation is necessary for return of normal hand function in an injured dominant hand.