Impaired discrimination of sensory information about slip between object and skin is associated with handgrip limitation poststroke

Impaired somatosensory processing could contribute to handgrip limitation following stroke. The aim of this study was to examine the association between somatosensory function measured by psychophysical tests and clinical measures of handgrip limitation poststroke. Forty-five people with stroke who could perform a pinch grip task were recruited from rehabilitation settings. Ability to discriminate surface friction, and to match object weight were quantified using psychophysical methods. Handgrip limitation was measured using items of the Motor Assessment Scale, Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test and the Hand Function Survey. Impaired discrimination of surface friction was moderately to weakly associated with handgrip limitation (rs = .36 to .55). In contrast, an association between degree of impairment in matching weight and handgrip limitation poststroke was not observed (rs < .24). The findings suggest that processing of tactile cues arising between the object and skin when training handgrip ability may be beneficial for people with stroke.