Effects of Cryokinetics on Hand Function of Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of cryokinetics on hand function of subjects with spinal cord injury. The present study has an experimental design. Thirty-nine subjects with upper spinal cord injury were included. Handgrip and pinch strength were measured using electronic hand dynamometer (in kg) and mechanical pinch gauge (in kg) respectively prior to and following an 8-week cryokinetics. The amount of handgrip and pinch strength of both hands generated by each participant was used as a quantitative measurement of the development of hand function. Inferential statistics of multiple analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Statistical significance was retained for p value <0.05. The results of this study revealed that the strength training and the cryotherapy programmes separately had insignificant (p>0.05) effects on the hand function of the subjects. However, cryokinetics had significant (p<0.05) effects on the hand function of subjects with upper spinal cord injury. It was therefore concluded that the strength training programmes and cryotherapy individually cannot substantially influence hand function of subjects with upper spinal cord injury whereas, cryokinetics can substantially enhance hand function of the participants. Thus, cryokinetics is an excellent intervention protocol for optimizing hand function of subjects with upper spinal cord injury. It was therefore recommended that cryokinetics should be regarded as keystone in the management of subjects with upper spinal cord injury.