Comparison of dominant and nondominant handwriting with the signal of a three-axial accelerometer

Comparison of dominant and nondominant handwriting with the signal of a three-axial accelerometer

Handwriting using the dominant and nondominant arms was analyzed in 52 young adults with the aid of a three-axial accelerometer. We measured a signal vector magnitude (SVM) and the percentage of the total signal vector magnitude (%TSVM) for the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP), radial styloid process (RSP), and lateral epicondyle (LE) of both arms. The SVM for the MCP was lower in the dominant arm than the nondominant arm, whereas that for the RSP was higher. %TVSM was lower for the MCP than for the RSP and LE in the nondominant arm, but higher for the MCP than for the LE in the nondominant arm. These findings suggest that controlling the MCP will improve the quality of handwriting, including when using the nondominant arm.