An Analysis of Wrist Motions During Daily Activities From a Directional Perspective: The Significance of Directions Beyond the Dart-Throwing Motion

Abstract

Background: Previous studies on Activities of Daily Living (ADL) suggest that the wrist demonstrates different ranges of motion and frequencies in various directions. However, the specific directional characteristics of wrist activities remain unexplored. This study aims to investigate the directional characteristics of wrist motions during ADL with optical motion capture technology.

Method: This is a basic science study. Twenty-six right-handed subjects executed 22 ADLs, with angular wrist positions tracked via retroreflective markers on the dominant limb. The Cartesian coordinate system formed by wrist flexion–extension and radial–ulnar deviation angles was transformed into a polar coordinate system, enabling the directional analysis and the calculation of the directional range of motion (ROM). The directional distribution of trajectory points was analyzed using the Rayleigh test and visualized. The values and trends of directional RoM in 72 directions for both aggregated and individual ADLs were examined. The peaks of ROMs across ADLs were clustered using K-means to identify key directions. Differences in gender and age were analyzed with a two-way ANOVA.

Result: The trajectories exhibited a strong directional preference across all ADLs (p < 0.01). In the majority of ADLs, the trajectories favored the ulnar extension direction (19/22) and were distributed along the radial flexion–ulnar extension plane (12/22). ROM was calculated for each of the 72 directions in each ADL. The aggregated ADL analysis provided the directional functional ROM (fROM). Three types of ADLs were identified, each with 1, 2, and 3 peaks in their directional ROM, respectively. Three key directions were identified as clusters of peak ROMs in the ADLs. Comparisons across gender and age groups revealed varying preferences for directional ROM in each group.

Conclusion: This study identified three key wrist motion directions essential for daily functions, highlighting the critical role of ulnar extension. Additionally, it demonstrated variations in directional wrist motion preferences across different genders and age groups.

Keywords

activities of daily living / dart throwing motion / range of motion / wrist / wrist circumduction

References

[1] J. J. Crisco, W. M. R. Heard, R. R. Rich, D. J. Paller, and S. W. Wolfe, “The Mechanical Axes of the Wrist Are Oriented Obliquely to the Anatomical Axes,” Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American Volume) 93, no. 2 (2011): 169-177, https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.I.01222.

[2] H. Moritomo, T. Murase, A. Goto, K. Oka, K. Sugamoto, and H. Yoshikawa, “In Vivo Three-Dimensional Kinematics of the Midcarpal Joint of the Wrist,” Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American Volume) 88, no. 3 (2006): 611-621, https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.D.02885.

[3] A. K. Palmer, F. W. Werner, D. Murphy, and R. Glisson, “Functional Wrist Motion: A Biomechanical Study,” Journal of Hand Surgery 10, no. 1 (1985): 39-46, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0363-5023(85)80246-x.

[4] J. Ryu, W. P. Cooney, L. J. Askew, K.-N. An, and E. Y. S. Chao, “Functional Ranges of Motion of the Wrist Joint,” Journal of Hand Surgery 16, no. 3 (1991): 409-419, https://doi.org/10.1016/0363-5023(91)90006-W.

[5] J. Aizawa, T. Masuda, T. Koyama, et al., “Three-Dimensional Motion of the Upper Extremity Joints During Various Activities of Daily Living,” Journal of Biomechanics 43, no. 15 (2010): 2915-2922, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.07.006.

[6] Z. M. Li, L. Kuxhaus, J. A. Fisk, and T. H. Christophel, “Coupling Between Wrist Flexion-Extension and Radial-Ulnar Deviation,” Clinical Biomechanics 20, no. 2 (2005): 177-183, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2004.10.002.

[7] M. Caumes, B. de Goislard Monsabert, H. Hauraix, E. Berton, and L. Vigouroux, “Complex Couplings Between Joints, Muscles and Performance: The Role of the Wrist in Grasping,” Scientific Reports 9, no. 1 (2019): 19357, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55443-w.

[8] T. Dauncey, H. P. Singh, and J. J. Dias, “Electrogoniometer Measurement and Directional Analysis of Wrist Angles and Movements During the Sollerman Hand Function Test,” J Hand Ther off J Am Soc Hand Ther 30, no. 3 (2017): 328-336, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2016.06.011.

[9] M. Nadeem, J. G. Loss, Z. M. Li, and W. J. Seitz, “Ulnar Extension Coupling in Functional Wrist Kinematics During Hand Activities of Daily Living,” Journal of Hand Surgery 47, no. 2 (2022): 187.e1-187.e13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsa.2021.03.026.

[10] V. Gracia-Ibáñez, J. L. Sancho-Bru, M. Vergara, A. Roda-Sales, N. J. Jarque-Bou, and V. Bayarri-Porcar, “Biomechanical Function Requirements of the Wrist. Circumduction Versus Flexion/Abduction Range of Motion,” Journal of Biomechanics 110 (2020): 109975, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2020.109975.

[11] W. Anderton, S. Tew, S. Ferguson, J. Hernandez, and S. K. Charles, “Movement Preferences of the Wrist and Forearm During Activities of Daily Living,” J Hand Ther off J Am Soc Hand Ther 36, no. 3 (2023): 580-592, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2022.07.003.

[12] O. O. Akinnola, V. Vardakastani, and A. E. Kedgley, “Development of a Clinically Adoptable Joint Coordinate System for the Wrist,” Journal of Biomechanics 118 (2021): 110291, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110291.

[13] R. H. Brumfield and J. A. Champoux, “A Biomechanical Study of Normal Functional Wrist Motion,” Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 187 (1984): 23-25.

[14] Y. Matsui, A. Minami, M. Kondo, et al., “Clinical Outcomes of Total Wrist Arthroplasty in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Minimum 10-Year Follow-Up Study,” Journal of Hand Surgery (2024): S0363-5023(24)00098-4, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsa.2024.03.002.

[15] P. Saffar and I. Semaan, “The Study of the Biomechanics of Wrist Movements in an Oblique Plane — A Preliminary Report,” in Advances in the Biomechanics of the Hand and Wrist, ed. F. Schuind, K. N. An, W. P. Cooney, and M. Garcia-Elias (Springer US, 1994), 305-311.

[16] F. W. Werner, W. H. Short, M. D. Fortino, and A. K. Palmer, “The Relative Contribution of Selected Carpal Bones to Global Wrist Motion During Simulated Planar and Out-Of-Plane Wrist Motion,” Journal of Hand Surgery 22, no. 4 (1997): 708-713, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0363-5023(97)80133-5.

[17] P. Stirling, C. Chan, N. J. Cliff, and P. A. Rust, “A Reference Range of Dart-Thrower's Motion at the Wrist in a Healthy Adult Population,” Journal of Hand Surgery 46, no. 6 (2021): 519, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsa.2020.10.035.

[18] T. Schriever, H. Olivecrona, and M. Wilcke, “There Is Motion Between the Scaphoid and the Lunate During the Dart-Throwing Motion,” Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery 55, no. 5 (2021): 294-296, https://doi.org/10.1080/2000656X.2021.1874398.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2025 The Author(s). Orthopaedic Surgery published by Tianjin Hospital and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.