Highlights
- •Pinch MVC (maximal voluntary contraction) is not correlated to dexterity
- •Pinch MVC and E-MVC (extension maximal voluntary contraction) values have different decline over ageing.
- •No difference in E-MVC (extension maximal voluntary contraction) was observed between hands
- •In heaviest occupations there is no difference in Palmar pinch MVC between hands
- •The anthropometric factor most correlated with pinch MVCs is height
Abstract
Study design
Cross-sectional study.
Introduction
Flexion (Palmar Pinch, PP-MVC and Tip Pinch, TP-MVC) and extension (E-MVC) maximal
voluntary contraction (MVC) of the index-thumb system offers a quick way to estimate
the level of hands’ impairment in several musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions.
Purpose of the Study
This study established normative data of PP-MVC, TP-MVC, E-MVC in the Italian population
and evaluated their correlation with hand dominance, anthropometric factors, dexterity
and workload level.
Methods
In our study, 303 healthy people (150F, 153M) were recruited. Participants performed
PP-MVC, TP-MVC and E-MVC tests per hand, conducted by using a pinch-gauge. T-test
was used to analyze MVC means between sexes and between hands. One-way ANOVA was conducted
to compare MVC means in male and female samples stratified by age (18-29, 30-44, 45-59,
60-74, +75). Spearman's correlation analysis was performed to determine anthropometric
variables, dexterity and workload level effects on MVCs.
Results
Medium-to-large effect sizes of age were shown in the majority of tasks. The 30 to
44 years and then +75 years age groups showed the highest and the lowest values, respectively,
for both sex and both hands. Men were meanly 50% stronger, and the dominant hand showed
higher values (6-10%). MVC-tests correlated moderately with weight and height weakly
with dexterity and workload level.
Conclusions
After 30 to 44 years, hand strength declines in line with the normal process of aging
that also entails muscle fibers and the reduction of daily activities in older adults.
In relative terms, E-MVC showed the highest strength loss in the over 75 seconds.
The difference between sexes was higher in E-MVC than in flexion MVCs. E-MVC seems
to depend more on musculoskeletal architecture that differs from women to men, according
to the highest correlation between E-MVC and anthropometric variables. Only high workload
levels impacted hand strength. In heaviest occupations, no PP-MVCs differences were
observed between hands.
Keywords
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JHT Read for Credit
Quiz: # 930
Record your answers on the Return Answer Form found on the tear-out coupon at the back of this issue or to complete online and use a credit card, go to JHTReadforCredit.com. There is only one best answer for each question.
- # 1.Statistical analysis consisted of
- a.ANOVA
- b.T-test
- c.both a and b above
- d.none of the above
- a.
- # 2.The study sought to establish
- a.normative data in an Italian population
- b.normative data throughout Caucasian populations
- c.normative data across ethnic populations
- d.differences between normative data and data for a hand injured population
- a.
- # 3.Functional muscle testing was performed for
- a.tip pinch
- b.extension
- c.palmar pinch
- d.all of the above
- a.
- # 4.Men tested approximately ________ stronger than women
- a.10%
- b.25%
- c.50%
- d.75%
- a.
- # 5.The difference between sexes was higher in extension than in flexion
- a.not true
- b.true
- a.
When submitting to the HTCC for re-certification, please batch your JHT RFC certificates in groups of 3 or more to get full credit.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 16, 2021
Accepted:
May 6,
2021
Received in revised form:
May 3,
2021
Received:
January 12,
2021
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: None.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
