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Hand impairment is prevalent in individuals after stroke. Regaining independent finger control is especially challenging. An objective and continuous assessment of finger impairment could inform clinicians and allow them to prescribe targeted therapies. The objective of this preliminary work was to quantify the neuromuscular factors that contribute to impairment in independent finger control in chronic stroke survivors. We obtained high-density electromyographic (HD-EMG) signals of extrinsic finger muscles and fingertip forces, while stroke or control participants were instructed to produce independent finger forces. We observed an impaired ability to isolate individual muscle compartment activation (i.e., co-activation of muscle compartment). This muscle co-activation pattern correlated with finger independence as well as clinical assessment scales on hand impairment. Our preliminary work showed that HD-EMG recordings can be used to continuously monitor activation abnormalities of small finger muscles in contribution to impaired finger independence. With further development, the outcomes can provide a basis for clinical decision making to reduce hand impairments of stroke survivors.