ThinkHand: how important is your arm and hand function to you?

Did you know that hand functions involving power and precision probably evolved separately? #ThinkHand #MSBlog #MSResearch

"If you a veteran visitor to this blog you will be aware that as an extension of our length-dependent axonopathy (LENDAXON) and therapeutic lag hypotheses we are proposing that progressive trials in people already using a walking stick (EDSS = 6.0 and 6.5) or wheelchair (EDSS>=7.0) should focus on upper limb (arm and hand) function as the primary outcome. This proposal is supported by many data sets and is strongly supported by the recent results of the ASCEND trial (natalizumab in SPMS). Although this trial was negative overall it showed that natalizumab was effective in maintaining upper limb function compared to placebo in pwSPMS. Despite presenting and writing about the LENDAXON and therapeutic lag hypotheses, lobbying pharma and discussing things face-to-face with colleagues there seems to be some resistance to adopting our ideas and trial proposal. We are hoping to change things at ECTRIMS; we have had one of our Blog Surveys on the importance of arm and hand function to pwMS accepted as a poster and there will be a debate on this exact issue as well. Dr K or Dr Schmierer will be making the case for trials in more advanced MS using upper limb function as the primary outcome."

"We also planning to launch an initiative around ECTRIMS to allow pwMS to perform their own 9-hole peg test (9-HPT), i.e. a self- or home-administered 9-HPT, so that you can start monitoring your own arm and hand function. If we don't get people to ThinkHand then the chances of getting effective treatments for people with more advanced MS will remain slim. One of the problems we face is that both the 9-HPT and the ABILHAND (a patient-related outcome measure or PROM) to assess arm and hand function are designed and weighted towards assessing precision, rather than power, tasks. It is clear from the evolution of the hand (see abstract below) that we need both precision and power. As MS impacts on both of these functions we may need newer and better outcome measures that are more sensitive to change to measure these functions in more detail. We also believe that the current upper-limb outcome measures are not that meaningful to pwMS; Alison Thomson in our group is hoping to change that as well. She is currently ruminating on how to develop and improve on the current PROMS; she is passionate about making a PROM that reflects the impact MS is having on your life."


"To help expand the data set for our ECTRIMS poster; I would appreciate it if you could help by completing another, more detailed survey on arm and hand function. Thank you."


Richard W Young. Evolution of the human hand: the role of throwing and clubbing. J Anat. 2003 Jan; 202(1): 165–174.

It has been proposed that the hominid lineage began when a group of chimpanzee-like apes began to throw rocks and swing clubs at adversaries, and that this behaviour yielded reproductive advantages for millions of years, driving natural selection for improved throwing and clubbing prowess. This assertion leads to the prediction that the human hand should be adapted for throwing and clubbing, a topic that is explored in the following report. It is shown that the two fundamental human handgrips, first identified by J. R. Napier, and named by him the ‘precision grip’ and ‘power grip’, represent a throwing grip and a clubbing grip, thereby providing an evolutionary explanation for the two unique grips, and the extensive anatomical remodelling of the hand that made them possible. These results are supported by palaeoanthropological evidence.

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