• Paolo Vinci, Carolina Esposito, Sandra L Perelli, Jo Ann V Antenor, and Florian P Thomas.
• Department of Rehabilitation of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease and Other Neuromuscular Disorders, Specialized Rehabilitation Hospital L. Spolverini, Ariccia, Rome, Italy. paolovinci@libero.it
• Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2003 Jun 1;84(6):825-7.

ObjectiveTo determine the incidence of overwork weakness in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT).DesignProspective survey.SettingRehabilitation department for CMT in an Italian tertiary care hospital.ParticipantsA total of 106 outpatients with CMT, selected for absence of other causes of weakness (age range, 11-69y), and 48 healthy volunteers (controls).InterventionsThe strength of 2 intrinsic hand muscles (abductor pollicis brevis [APB], first dorsal interosseous) in the dominant and nondominant hands was graded by using manual muscle testing and a modified Medical Research Council (MRC) Scale.Main Outcome MeasuresThe side of the stronger muscle and the difference in strength between the nondominant and dominant muscles.ResultsMuscles were stronger on the nondominant side in 65.57% of patients versus 1.04% of controls, and on the dominant side in .94% of patients versus 84.38% controls. The difference in strength for first dorsal interosseous was .51 in patients and -.32 in controls (P>.01). The difference in strength for APB was .65 in patients and -.35 in controls (P>.01).ConclusionsCMT muscles in the dominant hand are weaker than in the nondominant hand. This may be the result of overwork weakness.

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