Finger motion excessiveness evaluation method, and computer program and device associated with same

Abstract

Provided are a finger motion excessiveness evaluation method that can be used to quantitatively evaluate the excessiveness of finger motions by means of a simple measurement, and easily make a determination regarding adaptation to splint therapy, and a computer program and a device associated with the method.　A finger motion excessiveness evaluation method according to the present invention comprises: a measurement step S1 for measuring a finger tapping motion, which is an opening / closing motion of two fingers, for both left and right fingers on a healthy side and an affected side of a subject; a calculation step S3 for calculating an opening width left / right difference ratio, obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening width between the two fingers on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening width on the healthy side, and calculating an opening speed left / right difference ratio, obtained by dividing the value of the maximum opening speed between the two fingers on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening speed on the healthy side, on the basis of the measurement data; and determination steps S5, S7, S8 for determining that the subject belongs to an excessive motion group when both the opening width left / right difference ratio and the opening speed left / right difference ratio are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, determining that the subject belongs to a motion restricted group when both the opening width left / right difference ratio and the opening speed left / right difference ratio are less than the predetermined threshold, and determining that the subject belongs to a control group when one of the opening width left / right difference ratio or the opening speed left / right difference ratio is less than the predetermined threshold and the other is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

Description

Method for assessing finger hypermobility, computer program and device associated with said method

[0001] The present invention relates to a finger hypermobility evaluation method for evaluating excessive finger movement, particularly a finger hypermobility evaluation method suitable for determining whether splint therapy is appropriate for cases such as thumb CM joint arthropathy, and a computer program and device associated with the method.

[0002] Various treatments have been used for motor disorders of the upper limbs, especially the fingers.

[0003] For example, in the case of arthropathy of the fingers, particularly arthropathy of the CM joint of the thumb, conservative treatments that have been shown to be effective include splint therapy, which uses a splint (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2) to immobilize the CM joint of the thumb in a limited manner to rest and immobilize it in a limited manner so as not to interfere with use in ADL (Activities of Daily Living) and thereby suppress excessive movement of the affected area, manual therapy to strengthen the first dorsal interosseous muscle and the opponens pollicis muscle, and injection therapy to reduce inflammation with steroid injections.

[0004] JP 2001-218781 A JP 2022-034783 A

[0005] The aforementioned splint therapy, manual therapy, or injection therapy is selected after a comprehensive assessment based mainly on interviews and questionnaires to obtain evaluation data on various evaluation items for thumb CM-M joint arthropathy, including ROM (Range of Motion) (the angle of thumb MP joint, IP joint, and palmar radial abduction / adduction of the CM joint), Pinch (Tip (pinching the fingertip), Palmar (Pulp) (pinching the palmar finger pulp), Key (Lateral) (pinching the lateral finger pulp)), pain intensity (VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) at rest, VAS during movement), disability (Hand 20, Q-DASH), and kinesiophobia (TSK-11).

[0006] However, especially with regard to splint therapy, which is intended to suppress excessive movement, it is difficult to determine whether or not it is appropriate, as it is difficult to detect excessive movement using assessment methods such as interviews and questionnaires.In addition, there is no standardization of the shape and type of splints used in splint therapy, and although various effectiveness studies have been conducted, the current situation is that no evidence has been established.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a method for evaluating finger hypermobility that can quantitatively evaluate excessive finger movement through simple measurements, and that can easily determine whether splint therapy is appropriate, as well as a computer program and device that accompany the method.

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the method for evaluating finger hypermobility of the present invention includes: a measuring step of measuring finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers, for both the healthy and affected fingers of a subject; and a calculating step of calculating a right-left difference ratio of the maximum finger opening width during finger tapping, by dividing the value of the maximum finger opening width on the affected side by the value of the maximum finger opening width on the healthy side, based on the measurement data obtained by the measuring step, and calculating a right-left difference ratio of the maximum finger opening speed during finger tapping, by dividing the value of the maximum finger opening speed on the affected side by the value of the maximum finger opening speed on the healthy side. and a judgment step of judging that the subject belongs to an excessive movement group in which the subject makes excessive finger movements when the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed calculated in the calculation step are both equal to or greater than predetermined thresholds, judging that the subject belongs to a movement restriction group in which the subject restricts finger movements by himself when the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed are both less than the predetermined thresholds, and judging that the subject belongs to a control group in which the subject can appropriately control finger movements by himself when either the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width or the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed is less than the predetermined threshold and the other is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

[0009] The above-described configuration of the present invention focuses on the maximum opening width and maximum opening speed between two fingers, which are characteristic quantities that can be said to be direct indicators of the degree of finger movement, and evaluates finger movement based on the ratio between the healthy side and the affected side using these as parameters. Specifically, the finger tapping movement, which is the opening and closing movement of two fingers, is measured for the fingers on both the healthy and affected sides of the subject, and based on the measurement data, the ratios obtained by dividing the affected side by the healthy side for the maximum opening width and maximum opening speed between the two fingers (left-right opening width difference ratio and left-right opening speed difference ratio) are calculated, and the calculated ratios are used to capture the finger movement state of the subject, making it possible to determine the excessiveness of finger movement with high accuracy (to quantitatively evaluate with high accuracy).

[0010] In particular, with the above configuration, if the left-right difference ratio of mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of mouth speed are both equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the subject is determined to belong to the excessive movement group, in which the subject is performing excessive finger movement; if the left-right difference ratio of mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of mouth speed are both less than the predetermined threshold, the subject is determined to belong to the movement restriction group, in which the subject is restricting their own finger movement; and if either the left-right difference ratio of mouth width or the left-right difference ratio of mouth speed is less than the predetermined threshold and the other is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the subject is determined to belong to the control group, in which the subject is able to appropriately control their own finger movement. This makes it possible to selectively assign conventional treatments such as splint therapy, manual therapy, or injection therapy to the subject depending on the current finger movement state, contributing to the realization of efficient and effective treatment.

[0011] Furthermore, since the ratio of the difference in opening width between the healthy side and the affected side and the ratio of the difference in opening speed between the healthy side and the affected side are effective indicators that can detect excessive mobility, it is possible to make more accurate judgments than before about the suitability of splint therapy, especially for arthritis of the CM joint of the thumb.

[0012] In the above configuration, the "maximum opening width" refers to the maximum separation distance between two fingers, and refers to the maximum opening width at any time or the average value of the maximum opening width (maximum point of the distance between two fingers) within a predetermined time. Also, in the above configuration, the "maximum opening speed" refers to the maximum speed at which two fingers separate from each other, and refers to the maximum opening speed at any time or the average value of the maximum opening speed (maximum point of the speed at which two fingers separate from each other) within a predetermined time.

[0013] In the above configuration, the measurement step of measuring the finger tapping motion, which is the opening and closing movement of two fingers, may use any measurement method as long as it can measure the finger tapping motion. For example, it may be a measurement method using magnetic sensors attached to two fingers, a measurement method that processes image data obtained by photographing the finger movements, or a measurement method based on the detection of the finger movements tapping on a touch panel.

[0014] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the "predetermined threshold" is preferably within the range of 0.25 to 2.5 (e.g., around 1). Through years of research, the inventors have accumulated a wealth of empirical data, and based on this, they have found that setting this threshold range is effective in determining whether splint therapy is appropriate, particularly for thumb CM joint arthropathy. That is, significant differences were observed between the hypermobility group, the limited-motion group, and the control group across this threshold range. Incidentally, no significant differences were observed between the hypermobility group, the limited-motion group, and the control group at any threshold for VAS, Hand 20, TSK, Pinch, grip strength, etc. Therefore, in the above configuration, the determination step preferably determines that the subject's finger movement disorder is appropriate for splint therapy, which involves limited immobilization of the affected area with a splint, if the subject belongs to the hypermobility group within this numerical range.

[0015] In addition to the above-mentioned finger hypermobility evaluation method (for example, by processing by a computer according to a predetermined algorithm, etc.), the present invention also provides a computer program that causes a computer to execute the method, and a finger hypermobility evaluation device that can execute the method.

[0016] The finger hypermobility assessment method, computer program, and device of the present invention enable quantitative assessment of finger hypermobility through simple measurements, and thus facilitate the determination of whether splint therapy is appropriate.

[0017] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a finger hypermobility evaluation device according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram showing both hands of a subject with tapping sensors attached to the thumb and index finger. It is a flowchart showing an example of a finger hypermobility evaluation method according to one embodiment of the present invention that can be executed by the finger hypermobility evaluation device of FIG. 1. It is an example of finger tapping waveform data obtained by measurement with a tapping sensor, showing changes over time in the distance between two fingers (opening width between two fingers). It is an example of finger tapping waveform data obtained by measurement with a tapping sensor, showing changes over time in the speed (opening speed and closing speed between two fingers) when two fingers move apart or approach each other. (a) is an example of finger tapping waveform data obtained by measurement with a tapping sensor, showing changes over time in the distance between two fingers (opening width between two fingers), of the affected finger. (b) is an example of finger tapping waveform data obtained by measurement with a tapping sensor, showing changes over time in the distance between two fingers (opening width between two fingers), of the healthy finger. 10 shows a classification table for classifying subjects into three groups based on a comparison of the right-left difference ratio of mouth opening width and the right-left difference ratio of mouth opening speed with a threshold value.

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, by providing the following technology, highly advanced technology contributes to the development of medical care and the realization of a healthy society. By realizing this finger hypermobility assessment method (device and computer program), we contribute to "9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, promote innovation and build resilient infrastructure" of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocated by the United Nations.

[0019] In addition, in the following embodiments, a method (apparatus) for evaluating finger hyperactivity will be described, but the present invention may also be configured as a computer program that enables a computer to perform the processing executed by the method (apparatus) for evaluating finger hyperactivity.

[0020] 1 shows a schematic configuration of a finger hypermobility evaluation device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this finger hypermobility evaluation device 1 includes a measurement unit 10 having a tapping sensor 2 that magnetically detects finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers on both the healthy and affected sides of a subject's left and right hands, and a processor 30 that processes measurement data measured by the measurement unit 10.

[0021] The measurement unit 10 measures finger movement data based on the relative distance between a pair of a transmitter coil and a receiver coil attached to a finger (or other movable part) of a living body, and obtains time-series information on the subject's finger movement, for example, by itself or in cooperation with a calculation circuit described below, so that the subject's movement information regarding at least one of distance, speed, acceleration, and jerk (acceleration differentiated with respect to time) can be obtained as time-series data (waveform data). Examples of such time-series (waveform) data are shown in Figures 4 to 6.

[0022] 4 shows an example of finger tapping movement waveform data indicating the change over time in the distance between the two fingers (opening width between the two fingers) obtained by measurement using the tapping sensor 2. From this waveform data, the maximum point P1 of the distance between the two fingers at any time can be obtained, and therefore the maximum opening width W, which is the maximum separation distance between the two fingers at any time, the average value of the maximum opening width W within a predetermined time, the time T during which the subject hesitates to continue the tapping movement and stops moving their fingers (the time during which the two fingers are in contact with each other or the time during which the relative movement of the two fingers is stopped), and the average value thereof can be obtained.

[0023] FIG. 5 shows an example of finger tapping waveform data obtained by measurement using the tapping sensor 2, showing the change over time in the speed (opening speed and closing speed between two fingers) when two fingers move apart or approach each other. Here, positive values ​​indicate the speed (opening speed) when two fingers move apart, and negative values ​​indicate the speed (closing speed) when two fingers move towards each other. From this waveform data, a maximum point P2 of the opening speed (opening speed) and a maximum point P3 of the closing speed between two fingers at any time can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the maximum opening speed V, which is the maximum speed at which two fingers move apart at any time, the average value of the maximum opening speed V within a predetermined time, the maximum closing speed, which is the maximum speed at which two fingers move towards each other at any time, and the average value of the maximum closing speed within a predetermined time. Of course, such waveform data can be obtained on both the healthy and affected sides.

[0024] 6 shows a comparison of the waveform data of FIG. 4 between the healthy side and the affected side. Fig. 6(a) shows an example of finger tapping movement waveform data showing the change over time in the inter-finger distance (opening width between the two fingers) of the affected side obtained by measurement with the tapping sensor 2, and Fig. 6(b) shows an example of finger tapping movement waveform data showing the change over time in the inter-finger distance (opening width between the two fingers) of the healthy side obtained by measurement with the tapping sensor 2. It can be seen that while freezing phenomenon A is observed over a certain period of time in the data from the affected side, there is almost no clear freezing phenomenon observed on the healthy side.

[0025] Referring again to FIG. 1, the measurement unit 10 includes the tapping sensor 2, first and second switching circuits 4 and 5, an AC generator 6 for generating AC, an amplifier / filter circuit 7, an A / D converter 8, a detector 9, a downsampler 10 for downsampling, and a controller 11 for controlling the operations of these components.

[0026] The tapping sensor 2 is composed of a pair of a transmitter coil 2A (2A') and a receiver coil 2B (2B') (or multiple rows of pairs of coils) and is attached to the fingers (e.g., nails) of the subject's hand 100 (100A, 100A') using, for example, double-sided tape or a fixing band, as shown in FIG. 2 . Specifically, in FIG. 2 , a pair of a transmitter coil 2A and a receiver coil 2B is attached to the thumb 100a and index finger 100b of the subject's right hand 100A, and a pair of a transmitter coil 2A' and a receiver coil 2B' is attached to the thumb 100a and index finger 100b of the subject's left hand 100A' (these may be reversed or attached to other fingers). In this case, the transmitter coil 2A (2A') emits a magnetic field, and the receiver coil 2B (2B') receives (detects) the magnetic field emitted by the transmitter coil 2A (2A').

[0027] One AC generator 6 is connected to the transmitter coil 2A (2A') via a first switching circuit 4. Through the switching operation of the first switching circuit 4, AC current (e.g., a 20 kHz current) from the AC generator 6 flows sequentially through the transmitter coil 2A (2A'), causing the transmitter coil 2A (2A') through which the AC current flows to generate an AC magnetic field. The AC generator 6 generates AC current of a predetermined frequency, and the timing of the current flow is controlled by a controller 11. The signal generated by the AC generator 6 is used as a reference signal for the detection operation of the detector 9.

[0028] The controller 11 generates a synchronization signal for controlling the first and second switching circuits 4 and 5. This synchronization signal enables the first switching circuit 4 and the second switching circuit 5 to be switched simultaneously, and they operate sequentially for each pair of the transmitting coil 2A (2A') and the receiving coil 2B (2B').

[0029] The receiving coil 2B (2B') is also connected to an amplifier / filter circuit 7 via a second switching circuit 5, and the output signal from the amplifier / filter circuit 7 is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter 8, which is then transmitted to a detector 9. The conversion of analog data into digital data by the A / D converter 8 facilitates subsequent processing (downsampling, etc.). The detector 9 also performs processing to delete a predetermined period of the AC magnetic field waveform (noise portion) detected by the receiving coil 2B (2B') immediately after switching by the second switching circuit 5.

[0030] Furthermore, the time of the deletion process in the AC magnetic field waveform of each receiving coil 2B (2B') is precisely controlled by the controller 11. After this deletion process, the detector 9 performs full-wave rectification and filtering (mainly processing using a low-pass filter (LPF)) using the aforementioned reference signal. Finally, the digital signal processed by the detector 9 is converted (downsampled) by the downsampler 10 into coarse data with a sampling frequency (e.g., 200 Hz) that is approximately 1 / 1000 (a predetermined ratio) of the sampling frequency (e.g., 200 kHz) of the A / D converter 8. This reduces the overall data volume. Therefore, the output signal can be transmitted at high speed as data from multiple receiving coils even with limited communication capacity. In other words, because the communication interface 12 of the measurement unit 10 receives a small amount of data from the downsampler 10, finger movement data related to multiple receiving coils can be transferred to the processor 30 (via the communication interface 31 of the processor 30) at once, wirelessly or via a wire.

[0031] The processor 30 processes the measurement data obtained by the measurement unit 10 based on the detection information detected by the tapping sensor 2, specifically based on the measurement data output from the measurement unit 10 which measures the finger tapping movements of the subject's left and right fingers on both the healthy and affected sides of the subject using the tapping sensor 2, and calculates the maximum opening width W between the two fingers during finger tapping as follows: Ｐ The value of the maximum opening width W on the healthy side ＨThe ratio of the difference between the left and right opening widths R divided by the value of Ｗ (=W Ｐ / W Ｈ ) and calculate the maximum opening speed V between the two fingers during finger tapping. Ｐ The value of the maximum opening speed of the healthy side V Ｈ The left-right difference ratio R of opening speed divided by the value Ｖ (=V Ｐ / V Ｈ ) and the right-left difference ratio R of the opening width calculated by the calculation circuit 33. Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ If both of these are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold T, the subject is determined to belong to the excessive finger movement group, and the right-left difference ratio R Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ If both of these are less than a predetermined threshold T, it is determined that the subject belongs to a movement restriction group in which the subject restricts finger movement by himself / herself, and the ratio of the difference between the left and right mouth opening widths R Ｗ Or the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ and a judgment circuit 34 that judges that the subject belongs to a control group that can appropriately control finger movements by themselves if one of the above is less than a predetermined threshold T and the other is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold T.

[0032] In addition, the finger hyperactivity evaluation device 1 further includes a display 37 that displays various data (such as the calculation results calculated by the calculation circuit 33) including the judgment results by the judgment circuit 34 of the processor 30, a memory 36 that stores the various data, and an operation input interface 38 that can input necessary data and commands to the processor 30 by operation.

[0033] In the above configuration, the processor 30 is composed of a CPU and the like, and executes programs such as an operating system (OS) and various operation control applications stored in the memory 36, thereby performing operation control processing for the various circuits 33 and 34 described above and controlling the startup operations of various applications.

[0034] The memory 36 is configured with a flash memory or the like, and stores programs such as an operating system and applications for controlling the operation of various processes such as images, audio, documents, displays, measurements, etc. The memory 36 also stores information data such as base data required for basic operations by the operating system and file data used by various applications.

[0035] The processing by the processor 30 may be stored as a single application, and the measurement of finger movements and the calculation and analysis of various feature quantities may be performed by activating the application. Alternatively, an external server device with high computing performance and large capacity may receive the measurement results from the information processing terminal and calculate and analyze the feature quantities.

[0036] The operation input interface 38 generally uses input means such as a keyboard, key buttons, touch keys, etc., but may also use, for example, gesture operation or voice input, and is used to set and input the information that the subject should enter.

[0037] Furthermore, the communication interface 31 may not only receive measurement results from the measurement unit 10, but may also wirelessly communicate with a server device or the like located in a different location via short-range wireless communication, a wireless LAN, or base station communication. In this case, measurement data, analyzed and calculated features, and the like may be transmitted and received from the server device or the like via the transmitting / receiving antenna 39 during wireless communication. While short-range wireless communication is performed using, for example, an electronic tag, this is not limited thereto, and wireless LANs such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), IrDA (Infrared Data Association, registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), HomeRF (Home Radio Frequency, registered trademark), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) may also be used, as long as they are capable of at least wireless communication when located near other information terminals. Furthermore, for base station communication, long-distance wireless communication such as W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) or GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) may be used. It is also possible to detect the positional relationship and orientation between terminals using an ultra-wide band (UWB) system. Although not shown, the communication interface 31 may use other methods as wireless communication means, such as optical communication or acoustic wave communication. In this case, a light emitting / receiving unit and an acoustic wave output / input interface are used instead of the transmitting / receiving antenna 39, respectively.

[0038] In this embodiment, the measuring unit 10 and the processor 30 have each of the aforementioned components individually, but they may also be provided with a functional unit that integrates at least some or all of these components; in short, any configuration is acceptable as long as the functions of each of these components are ensured.

[0039] The finger hypermobility evaluation device 1 configured as described above is non-invasive and has a compact, lightweight design that is highly biosafe, allowing for measurement and evaluation in a short measurement time with minimal burden on the subject.

[0040] Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3, an example of the operation of the finger hypermobility evaluation device 1 having the above-described configuration (finger hypermobility evaluation method) will be described in more detail.

[0041] 3 shows an example of processing steps (steps S1 to S9 of the finger hypermobility evaluation method) executed by the finger hypermobility evaluation device 1 (steps S2 and onward show an example of processing steps executed by the processor 30). As shown in the figure, in the finger hypermobility evaluation device 1 (finger hypermobility evaluation method) of this embodiment, first, the measurement unit 10 measures the finger tapping movement performed by the subject (measurement step S1). Specifically, the measurement unit 10 magnetically measures (detects) the finger tapping movement of both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject's left and right hands using the tapping sensor 2. During this measurement process, the processor 30 acquires detection data (measurement data) from the tapping sensor 2 (step S2).

[0042] In this way, the finger tapping movement of the subject is measured by the measuring unit 10, and the measurement data is received by the processor 30. Then, based on the received measurement data, the arithmetic circuit 33 of the processor 30 calculates the maximum opening width W between the two fingers during finger tapping (for example, based on the data shown in FIG. 6) as the maximum opening width W on the affected side. Ｐ The value of the maximum opening width W on the healthy side Ｈ The ratio of the difference between the left and right opening widths R divided by the value of Ｗ (=W Ｐ / W Ｈ ) and, regarding the maximum opening velocity V between the two fingers during finger tapping, the maximum opening velocity V on the affected side (for example, based on the data shown in FIG. 5 corresponding to the healthy side and the affected side) is calculated. Ｐ The value of the maximum opening speed of the healthy side V Ｈ The left-right difference ratio R of opening speed divided by the value Ｖ (=V Ｐ / V Ｈ ) is calculated (calculation step S3). Ｐ , W Ｈ The average value of the maximum opening width (maximum point of the distance between the two fingers) within a predetermined time is adopted as the value of the maximum opening speed V Ｐ , V ＨThe average value of the maximum opening speed (the maximum speed when the two fingers separate) within a predetermined time is used as the value of .

[0043] Then, such a ratio of difference between the left and right opening widths R Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ Once the calculation circuit 33 calculates the ratios, the judgment circuit 34 of the processor 30 compares the ratios of the difference in the left-right difference in the mouth opening width and the ratio of the difference in the left-right difference in the mouth opening velocity with a predetermined threshold T to classify the subject into one of the following groups: an excessive movement group in which the affected side moves more excessively than the healthy side (the affected side is painful, difficult to use on a daily basis, and there is a strong sense of fear, but the subject moves the affected side unintentionally); a movement-restricted group in which the subject restricts finger movement (the affected side is painful, difficult to use on a daily basis, and there is a strong sense of fear, so the subject tries to avoid moving the affected side as much as possible); and a control group in which the subject is able to appropriately control finger movement. In particular, in this embodiment, the predetermined threshold T is set to 1, and the subject is classified into the three groups described above using the classification table shown in FIG. 7. The predetermined threshold T can be set to any value within the range of 0.25 to 2.5 (1 in this embodiment).

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment in which the threshold value T is set to 1, the determination circuit 34 determines whether the ratio R of the opening width difference between the left and right sides calculated by the calculation circuit 33 is 1. Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ are equal to or greater than the threshold value T (=1) (step S4), and the ratio R Ｗ , R Ｖ If both are equal to or greater than the threshold value (=1) (if the judgment in step S4 is YES), the subject is judged to belong to the hypermobility group (step S5). At the same time, the judgment circuit may also judge that the subject's finger movement disorder is suitable for splint therapy, which involves limited immobilization of the affected area with a splint. On the other hand, Ｗ , R Ｖ If neither of the left and right opening width difference ratios R Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ are less than the threshold value T (=1) (step S6), and the ratio R Ｗ , RＶ If both of the ratios R are less than the threshold value (=1) (if the determination in step S6 is YES), the subject is determined to belong to the exercise restriction group (step S7). Ｗ , R Ｖ are not less than the threshold value (=1) (if the determination in step S6 is NO), that is, if the ratio R Ｗ , R Ｖ is neither greater than or equal to the threshold value (=1) nor less than the threshold value (=1), in other words, the ratio of the left and right opening width difference R Ｗ Or the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ If one of these is less than a predetermined threshold T (=1) and the other is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold T (=1), the determination circuitry 34 determines that the subject belongs to the control group (step S8).

[0045] Once the subject has been classified into groups as described above, the results of the judgment are displayed on the display 37 (step S9). In addition, when a predetermined command is input, for example, via the operation input interface 38, data corresponding to the command, such as calculated data calculated by the arithmetic circuit 33 (or measurement data output from the measurement unit 10), is also displayed on the display 37.

[0046] In fact, as an example, a healthy person can move almost simultaneously on the affected side and the healthy side, so the ratio of the difference in the mouth opening width between the left and right sides R Ｗ Or the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed ＶBoth of these values ​​are close to 1. In contrast, when there is pain in either the left or right finger (i.e., when the subject belongs to the movement-limited group), for example, it is assumed that the affected side can only open half as much as the healthy side, in which case the "left-right difference ratio of mouth opening width" is 0.5. It is also assumed that the affected side can only open half as much as the healthy side, and the opening speed is half as fast, which could result in the "left-right difference ratio of mouth opening speed" being as high as 0.25. On the other hand, when the subject belongs to the excessive movement group, for example, the affected side may open twice as much as the healthy side, resulting in the "left-right difference ratio of mouth opening width" being 2.0. It is also assumed that the affected side is out of control, and the opening speed is 1.25 times faster, resulting in the "left-right difference ratio of mouth opening height speed" being 2.5. Therefore, it is preferable to set the predetermined threshold T to any value within the range of 0.25 to 2.5.

[0047] As explained above, in the configuration of this embodiment, attention is focused on the maximum opening width and maximum opening speed between two fingers, which are characteristic quantities that can be said to be direct indicators of the degree of finger movement, and finger motility is evaluated based on the ratio between the healthy side and the affected side using these as parameters. Specifically, finger tapping movement, which is the opening and closing movement of two fingers, is measured for the fingers on both the healthy and affected sides of the subject, and based on the measurement data, the ratio of the affected side to the healthy side is calculated for the maximum opening width W and maximum opening speed V between two fingers (left-right opening width difference ratio R Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ ) and the calculated ratio is used to capture the subject's finger movement state, so that excessive finger movement can be determined with high accuracy (quantitatively evaluated with high accuracy).

[0048] In particular, in this embodiment, the ratio of the left and right opening width difference R Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ If both of these are 1 or more, the subject is determined to belong to the hypermobility group, and the mouth opening width left-right difference ratio R Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ If both are less than 1, the subject is determined to belong to the movement restriction group, and the mouth opening width left-right difference ratio R Ｗ Or the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed ＶIf one of the above is less than 1 and the other is 1 or greater, the subject is determined to belong to the control group. This makes it possible to selectively assign conventional treatments such as splint therapy, manual therapy, or injection therapy to the subject depending on the current finger movement state, thereby contributing to the realization of efficient and effective treatment.

[0049] In addition, the ratio of the difference in the width of the mouth between the healthy side and the affected side R Ｗ and the left-right difference ratio R of opening speed Ｖ Since this is an effective indicator that can detect excessive mobility, it will be possible to determine the suitability of splint therapy, especially for arthritis of the CM joint of the thumb, with greater accuracy than before.

[0050] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can include various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0051] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations, functions, etc. may also be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the program, table, and file that implements each function may be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD, or may be stored in a device on a communication network.

[0052] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected.

[0053] 2 tapping sensor 10 measurement unit 30 processor 33 calculation circuit 34 determination circuit

Claims

1. A measurement step of measuring finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers, for both the healthy and affected fingers of the subject; and a calculation step of calculating, based on the measurement data obtained by the measurement step, a ratio of left-right difference in opening width between the two fingers during finger tapping, by dividing the value of the maximum opening width on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening width on the healthy side, and a ratio of left-right difference in opening speed between the two fingers during finger tapping, by dividing the value of the maximum opening speed on the affected side by the value of the maximum opening speed on the healthy side. a determination step of determining that the subject belongs to an excessive movement group in which the subject performs excessive finger movement when the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed calculated in the calculation step are both equal to or greater than predetermined thresholds, determining that the subject belongs to a movement restriction group in which the subject restricts their finger movement themselves when the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed are both less than the predetermined thresholds, and determining that the subject belongs to a control group in which the subject can appropriately control their finger movement themselves when either the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width or the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed is less than the predetermined threshold and the other is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

2. The finger hypermobility evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold value is within the range of 0.25 to 2.

5.

3. A method for evaluating finger hypermobility as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the judgment step determines that the subject's finger movement disorder is suitable for splint therapy, which involves limited immobilization of the affected area using a splint, if the subject belongs to the hypermobility group.

4. A computer program for processing measurement data obtained by measuring finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers, for both the healthy and affected fingers of a subject, comprising a calculation step of: calculating, based on the measurement data, a ratio of the difference between the left and right finger opening widths, by dividing the value of the maximum finger opening width on the affected side by the value of the maximum finger opening width on the healthy side, and calculating, based on the measurement data, a ratio of the difference between the left and right finger opening speeds, by dividing the value of the maximum finger opening speed on the affected side by the value of the maximum finger opening speed on the healthy side, a determination step of determining that the subject belongs to an excessive movement group in which the subject makes excessive finger movements when the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed calculated in the calculation step are both equal to or greater than predetermined thresholds, determining that the subject belongs to a movement restriction group in which the subject restricts their finger movements themselves when the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed are both less than the predetermined thresholds, and determining that the subject belongs to a control group in which the subject can appropriately control their finger movements themselves when either the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width or the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed is less than the predetermined threshold and the other is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

5. The computer program of claim 4, wherein the predetermined threshold is in the range of 0.25 to 2.

5.

6. A computer program as described in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the judgment step judges that the subject's finger movement disorder is suitable for splint therapy, which involves limited immobilization of the affected area using a splint, if the subject belongs to the hypermobility group.

7. A measuring unit that measures finger tapping movements, which are opening and closing movements of two fingers on both the healthy and affected sides of the subject's left and right fingers, and a processor that processes measurement data obtained by measurement by the measuring unit, wherein the processor comprises an arithmetic circuit that calculates, based on the measurement data obtained by the measuring step, a ratio of the difference between the left and right opening widths of the fingers when tapping the fingers, by dividing the value of the maximum opening width of the affected side by the value of the maximum opening width of the healthy side, and a ratio of the difference between the left and right opening speeds of the fingers when tapping the fingers, by dividing the value of the maximum opening speed of the affected side by the value of the maximum opening speed of the healthy side; and a judgment circuit that judges the subject to belong to an excessive movement group in which the subject performs excessive finger movement when the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed calculated in the calculation step are both equal to or greater than predetermined thresholds, judges the subject to belong to a movement restriction group in which the subject restricts their finger movement themselves when the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width and the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed are both less than the predetermined thresholds, and judges the subject to belong to a control group in which the subject can appropriately control their finger movement themselves when either the left-right difference ratio of the mouth width or the left-right difference ratio of the mouth speed is less than the predetermined threshold and the other is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

8. The finger hypermobility evaluation device according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined threshold value is within a range of 0.25 to 2.

5.

9. A finger hypermobility evaluation device as described in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the judgment circuit determines that the subject's finger movement disorder is suitable for splint therapy, which involves limited immobilization of the affected area using a splint, if the subject belongs to the hypermobility group.

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