Objective: It has been reported that the non-dominant hand of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is stronger than the dominant hand as a result of overwork weakness. The objective of this study was to determine if this hypothesis could be verified in our population. Design: Survey. Subjects: Twenty-eight patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type I or II from a rehabilitation department of a university hospital in the Netherlands. Methods: The strength of 3 intrinsic muscle groups of the dominant and non-dominant hand were determined using the Medical Research Council scale and the Rotterdam Intrinsic Hand Myometer. Furthermore, grip strength, pinch and key grip strength were measured. Results: We found no differences in muscle strength for the dominant and non-dominant hand, except for a stronger key grip strength of the dominant hand in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type II. Conclusion: In our population, the dominant hand of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type I and II was equally strong as the non-dominant hand, suggesting that there is no presence of overwork weakness in the dominant hand in our group of patients. This implies that patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease do not have to limit the use of their hands in daily life in order to prevent muscle strength loss. © 2009 The Authors. Journal Compilation

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doi.org/10.2340/16501977-0274, hdl.handle.net/1765/25473
Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

van Pomeren, M., Selles, R., van Ginneken, B., Schreuders, T., Janssen, W., & Stam, H. (2009). The hypothesis of overwork weakness in Charcot-Marie-Tooth: A critical evaluation. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 41(1), 32–34. doi:10.2340/16501977-0274