Preliminary Evaluation of Dominant Hand Mimicry Versus Traditional Grip Training for Non-dominant Hand Chopstick Use: A Single-Case Design

TL;DR

This study compares two chopstick training methods for non-dominant hand use and finds that a dominant hand-like grip may improve performance in some tasks.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel approach to non-dominant hand training using a dominant hand-like grip for chopstick manipulation.

Findings

Intervention B (dominant hand-like grip) showed stronger effects on bean transfers and traction force for most participants.

Participants using Intervention B shifted toward 'Three Finger' or 'Other' grips, while those using Intervention A adopted the 'Four Finger' grip.

Subjective achievement remained medium to high across both interventions, indicating user satisfaction.

Abstract

Background: Many patients with stroke lose functional use of their hands, highlighting the importance of non-dominant hand training as a compensatory strategy in rehabilitation. Chopstick manipulation training is commonly practiced in East Asia; however, it remains unclear whether a traditional grip or a dominant hand-like grip is more effective for training the non-dominant hand.

Methods: Ten right-handed students (five Japanese, five Chinese; eight males, two females; aged 20-26 years) participated in this study. Participants trained with their non-dominant hand for 15 minutes per day over 10 days using an alternating treatments design (ATD), while viewing instructional videos and concurrently practicing chopstick tip alignment exercises with either the traditional grip (Intervention A) or a dominant hand-like grip (Intervention B). Outcomes included the number of bean transfers within two minutes, chopstick tip traction strength, grip style (Yokubo classification), and subjective sense of accomplishment.

Results: All 10 participants completed the training with no dropouts. Analysis indicated weak to strong effects of Intervention B on bean transfers (three of five Chinese and all five Japanese) and chopstick tip traction force (three of five Chinese and four of five Japanese). After Intervention A, all participants adopted the “Four Finger” grip, with subjective achievement generally moderate to high. After Intervention B, both groups shifted toward “Three Finger” or “Other” grips, with subjective achievement remaining medium to high.

Conclusions: Grip style plays a critical role in non-dominant hand training. For some tasks, adopting a grip similar to the dominant hand may enhance functional performance and offer practical benefits for stroke rehabilitation.

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