Factors for Plastic Bottle Cap Opening in People with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Many patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) who are eligible for occupational therapy complain difficulty in using their hands and numbness or pain in their upper and lower limbs, which significantly affect their activities of daily living. Such an inconvenience rapidly increases when they have difficulty opening plastic bottle caps. Therefore, this study investigated the factors for opening plastic bottle caps by evaluating the plastic bottle cap–opening availability status, hand sensation, maximum grip strength, maximum pulp pinch strength, and results of the 10-s grip–release test, which consists of finger flexion and extension for 10 s at maximum effort in people with indications for surgery. The study included 141 patients who met the selection criteria out of 147 patients diagnosed with CSM and indicated for surgery and who were prescribed occupational therapy. The participants were divided into two groups: one group consisting of patients who could open plastic bottle caps 3 weeks after surgery (n = 94) and the other group consisting of those who could not (n = 47). Logistic regression analysis revealed only the average pinch force with an odds ratio of 4.668 (95% confidence interval 2.618–8.322, p = 0.001). In the ROC analysis, the cutoff value for the average pinch force required to open plastic bottle caps was 2.4 kgf. These findings indicated that the MPPS was below 2.4 kgf and that the patient had difficulty opening the plastic bottle caps, which may interfere with their activities of daily living and may be an indication for surgery.