Recovery of simple motor skills after head injury.

The performance of 40 head-injured patients (HI) without peripheral upper body injuries and 88 normal controls were compared on finger tapping and grip strength 1 month and 1 year after injury. The HI group demonstrated deficits on both tasks 1 month after injury, but only finger tapping was impaired 1 year postinjury. While grip strength differentially improved in the HI group from 1 month to 1 year, finger tapping improved similarly in both groups. The pattern of results was similar when a subset of 25 HI patients without any evidence of focal lesions were examined. These results demonstrate (1) motor deficits are present 1 year after injury even in a sample of predominantly mild head-injury patients, (2) grip strength is more sensitive to recovery in the first year after head injury, and (3) finger tapping continues to be impaired 1 year after head injury possibly due to its speed requirements.