Effect of gua sha plate thickness on continuous exertion of pinch grip force generated by the hands

Abstract

This study primarily investigated the effect of gua sha plate thickness on hand fatigue incurred through the sustained gripping of a gua sha plate. A total of 25 participants were recruited and five gua sha plates of various thicknesses were tested. The participants’ subjective and objective fatigue scores after they completed the assigned tasks using the plates were collected and analyzed. The results revealed that the fatigue associated with the usage of thick gua sha plates was considerably less than the fatigue associated with the usage of a thin gua sha plate. The gua sha plate thickness was also significantly and inversely correlated with the participants’ thumb–index web size. Because of the limited range of plate thickness in this study, the results must be further verified. However, these preliminary results and methods serve as a reference for selecting and designing gua sha plates, as well as for conducting subsequent relevant studies.