Performance of manual dexterity is deteriorated by acute experimental pain when performed in a combination with a demanding cognitive task
Authors
Fischer, Jens ; Hegtmann, Christopher
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-05
Pages
15
Abstract
Denne undersøgelse afklarede, hvordan akut smerte påvirker håndens fingerfærdighed, både alene og samtidig med en krævende mental opgave. Deltagerne (22 unge voksne, gennemsnitsalder 24,1 ± 2,0 år) gennemførte alle fire betingelser i tilfældig rækkefølge i et cross-over design: 1) kun en grooved pegboard-test (Peg), 2) pegboard med akut smerte (PegPain), 3) pegboard mens de løste en kognitiv interferensopgave (PegSub), og 4) pegboard med både smerte og kognitiv opgave (PegPainSub). Grooved pegboard er en standardtest af manuel fingerfærdighed, hvor man så hurtigt som muligt placerer små rillede pinde i tilsvarende slidser. Vi målte den samlede gennemførelsestid og tiden for hvert enkelt trin: valg af næste pind (selection), flytning (transport), isætning (insertion) og tilbageføring af hånden (return). Der var ingen forskel i samlet tid mellem Peg og PegPain. Både PegSub og PegPainSub tog længere tid end Peg og PegPain. Desuden tog PegPainSub længere tid end PegSub, primært fordi selection-fasen var længere. Resultaterne viser, at akut smerte ikke forringede præstationen i pegboard-opgaven i sig selv, men at den yderligere forværrede præstationen, når deltagerne samtidig udførte en mental opgave—især ved valget af næste pind. Det tyder på, at smerte kan forstyrre opmærksomheden, når den deles med en kognitivt krævende opgave.
This study examined how acute pain affects hand dexterity, both on its own and while doing a demanding mental task. Twenty-two young adults (mean age 24.1 ± 2.0 years) completed all four conditions in a randomized crossover design: 1) a grooved pegboard task only (Peg), 2) the pegboard with acute pain (PegPain), 3) the pegboard while performing a cognitive interference task (PegSub), and 4) the pegboard with both pain and the cognitive task (PegPainSub). The grooved pegboard is a standard test of manual dexterity where participants place small grooved pegs into matching slots as quickly as possible. We measured total completion time and the time for each step with every peg: selecting the next peg (selection), moving it (transport), inserting it (insertion), and returning the hand (return). There was no difference in total time between Peg and PegPain. Both PegSub and PegPainSub were slower than Peg and PegPain. Moreover, PegPainSub was slower than PegSub, mainly due to a longer selection phase. These findings show that acute pain did not impair pegboard performance by itself, but it further reduced performance when a mental task was done at the same time—especially at the moment of choosing the next peg. This suggests pain may disrupt attention when it must be shared with a cognitively demanding task.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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