The influence of physical workload on different grip strengths in healthy adults

Abstract

Background: Prehensile and precision hand grip strength are important indicators of overall muscular function and can significantly influence the worker’s capability while carrying out the physical activities at work.Purpose: In this study the effect of physical workload encountered in various occupational settings on the strength of the hand grip as well as strength of different precision grips was investigated.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 150 healthy adult subjects from different occupational backgrounds. The strength of gripping was measured using Baseline hydraulic hand dynamometer (Baseline®, Irvington, NY 10533, USA) while strength of different precision grips were measured by a Baseline HiRes hydraulic pinch gauge (Baseline®, Irvington, NY 10533, USA).Results: one-way MANOVA test declared the significant difference in grip strengths when compared between work categories (F = 10.9, p < 0.001, Wilk's Λ = 0.175, partial η2 = 0.44). Participants in high physical load occupations demonstrated higher grip strength compared to those in low physical load occupations.