Neurological damage can affect fine motor skills. Fine motor skills generally refer to the small movements of the hands, wrists and fingers.
The 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) is commonly used as a simple, quick assessment for hand dexterity in clinical settings. The test will be performed with the dominant hand first and then with the nondominant one. The more rapidly the test is performed, the greater de dexterity of the patient.
As its name implies, the 9HTP test involves pegs and holes. The patient is seated at a table with a small, shallow container holding nine pegs and a wood or plastic block containing nine empty holes. On a start command when a stopwatch is started, the patient picks up the nine pegs one at a time as quickly as possible, puts them in the nine holes, and, once they are in the holes, removes them again as quickly as possible one at a time, replacing them into the shallow container.
The total time to complete the task (both hands) is recorded.
The test takes three to five minutes. If the test is not completed after seven minutes, the test will be stopped.
