Abstract
This study investigated the effects of both force level and gender on pinch force reproduction errors in normal participants during an ipsilateral force reproduction task. In total, 20 healthy participants were asked to generate a range of levels of reference forces ranging from 5% to 60% maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) in increments of 5% MVIC using the tip pinch and to reproduce these forces using the same hand. The results showed that the males more accurately and consistently reproduced the forces than did the females, and the most accurate estimation occurred at approximately 20% to 35% MVIC. This finding can help us better understand the reasons for the higher rate of musculoskeletal disorders in females than in males and to develop tools and preventive strategies to decrease the rate of hand injuries in both genders.
Highlights
Pinching tasks with different levels of force are frequently used in workplaces
Exploring the possible differences in pinch force perception between males and females can offer novel insight regarding gender differences with respect to how musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) develop, contributing to the development of improved preventive strategies that decrease the high rate of hand injuries in both genders
The results showed that the males produced a significantly lower normalized AE (NAE) and normalized VE (NVE) than did the females
Summary
Pinching tasks with different levels of force are frequently used in workplaces. Workers with various occupations, such as mechanics, repair persons, and engineers, must maintain different constant, submaximum pinch grip forces using different hand tools when performing a wide range of operations, from assembling small electronics or larger aircraft. Gripping an object requires complex motor coordination in order to ensure that an appropriate level of pinch force be applied such that an object does not slip and is not crushed. The pinch forces repeatedly generated in the workplace may be slightly higher than necessary, which is especially important for MSD, as injuries are primarily the result of minor traumas incurred over extended time periods. Repeated and unnecessarily high pinch forces might induce minimal but long-term stress in some structures and a significant injury (Vafadar et al, 2015)
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