Effects of micropipette handle diameter and inclusion of finger rest on basilar thumb joint contact mechanics.

Micropipette users commonly experience problems in the hand and upper limbs. Mechanical factors are thought to contribute to osteoarthritis (OA) initiation and progression in the basilar thumb joint. Finite element analysis can be used to examine the effects of micropipette design on contact mechanics measures within the basilar thumb joint. This pilot study examined the effect of micropipette handle diameter (12 mm, 25 mm, and 40 mm) and the presence of a finger rest on contact area, contact force, and peak contact pressure in the basilar thumb joint. All contact mechanics measures decreased with increasing handle diameter with significant differences between the 12 mm diameter and the 40 mm diameter handles (contact area down about 30 mm2, contact force down about 15 N, and peak pressure down about 1 MPa). Decreasing contact mechanics measures with increasing diameter matched our expectations that contact measures would decrease with a more open grip. Contact mechanics measures were higher (p < 0.05) with a finger rest for contact area and force. We expected peak contact pressure and contact area to decrease with the presence of a finger rest. The unexpected outcome may have been due to non-randomized testing order and fatigue during testing.