2012 News

2012-09-15 Establishment of HWBI

At the 8th Triennial International Hand and Wrist Biomechanics Symposium in Yokohama, Japan, the international advisory board decided to form an organization to enhance the development of hand/wrist biomechanics. The name of the organization is officially established as Hand and Wrist Biomechanics International -- HWBI. The Board of Directors are Kai-Nan An, Moroe Beppu, Marc Garcia-Elias, Zong-Ming Li (Chair), David L. Nelson, Frederic Schuind, William H. Seitz, Fong-Chin Su, and Frederick W. Werner.

This year, the 12th Annual New Technology in Upper Extremity Surgery: The Cutting Edge With Advancing Translational Research will focus on the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder during June 10-12, 2012, in Cleveland, Ohio. The Annual New Technology in Upper Extremity Surgery represents an on-going commitment to provide an introduction to the latest advances in the care and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and wrist for the practicing orthopaedic surgeon, orthopaedic residents and fellows, and physical and occupational therapists.

(Cutting Edge 2012, Cutting Edge 2011, Cutting Edge 2010 and 7th Hand/Wrist Biomechanics Symposium)

Those tingling feelings, finger numbness and shooting pain in your wrist could be symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Caused by pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel at the base of your palm, CTS can be debilitating. The most common cause is typing on a computer keyboard, but other repetitive motions such as writing, painting, using hand tools, sewing and even playing some musical instruments can result in CTS. Zong-Ming Li, PhD a biomedical engineer at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, says....

Read more at Cleveland Clinic Catalyst eNews...

Zong-Ming Li, PhD, Biomedical Engineering, received a 2-year, $384K R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH/NIAMSD), "Exploration of Carpal Tunnel Mechanics for CTS Treatment." Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) impairs functionality at work and in activities of daily living; the usual treatment involves severing the transverse carpal ligament, which brings its own set of postsurgical problems. In this 2-year data-gathering study, Zong-Ming Li, PhD, Biomedical Engineering, with clinical colleague Peter Evans, MD, PhD, Orthopaedic Surgery, are investigating a nonsurgical alternative to carpal tunnel release surgery, performed on half a million Americans each year. The Li laboratory has discovered a novel mechanism of carpal tunnel manipulation to obtain tunnel enlargement by narrowing the carpal arch width (not stretching the carpal arch outwards), thus preserving the ligament’s integrity. The study seeks to answer whether CTS can be treated by nonsurgical, biomechanical manipulation of the carpal tunnel, i.e., by applying compression on the wrist to increase carpal tunnel cross-sectional area and decrease tunnel pressure, thus relieving the median nerve from mechanical insult. The team is studying biomechanical relationships among transverse compressive force, carpal tunnel pressure, carpal arch width, and carpal tunnel cross-sectional area using cadaveric specimens and human subjects.

Read at Cleveland Clinic Research News...

2010-09-20 Hand Research in AAOS NOW

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common hand disorder that affects an estimated 3.7 percent of the general population in the United States. Although the disorder rarely causes serious disability, it can disrupt common daily activities, require time off from work, and result in substantial medical expenses. Currently, a diagnosis of CTS relies largely on subjective, qualitative, or nonspecific methods. Zong-Ming Li, PhD, formerly director of the Hand Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh and now with the Cleveland Clinic, received the 2007 Frank E. Raymond Memorial Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Research Grant for an investigation that may lead to the development of quantitative strategies for diagnosis, rehabilitation, and treatment of CTS. Robert J. Goitz, MD, chief, division of hand and upper extremity surgery, University of Pittsburgh, is co-principal investigator for Dr. Li’s study.

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2010-04-02 Cleveland Hand Meeting 2010

The 10th Annual New Technology in Upper Extremity Surgery: The Cutting Edge meeting will be held together with the 7th Triennial International Hand and Wrist Biomechanics Symposium during June 20-23, 2010, in Cleveland, Ohio. Click here for more details.