2022 Volume 18 Issue 1 Pages 31-37
Introduction: In racket sports, it is necessary to devise a gripping method that facilitates both the efficient transmission of power and injury prevention. This study quantified grip pressure distribution (PD) in the hand using various gripping methods and investigated the relationship between these distributions and muscle activation.
Methods: In a laboratory setting, a grip sensor was used to measure hand PD in 15 healthy adults during each task. Participants gripped the sensor device using three grip patterns with simultaneous electromyography (EMG) recordings from the extensor digitorum communis (EDC), extensor carpi radialis, flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), and flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU). The device's hand-contact area was assigned anatomical regions, and the percentage PD of each region was calculated for each task. We compared the EMG in each grip pattern and analyzed the correlation between grip force and EMG.
Results: The main outcomes measured were EMG and PD. For radial and power grips, there was a significant relationship between EDC and grip force (r = 0.52, 0.47). For the ulnar grip, there was a significant relationship between FDS and grip force (r = 0.55). Furthermore, the ulnar grip's EDC activity was significantly lower than that of the power grip, and FCU activity was significantly higher than that of the radial grip (p < 0.05).
Discussion: The ulnar grip had significantly lower EDC activity than the power grip and higher FCU activity, which is involved in the elbow joint's stability, than the radial grip. The ulnar grip may be effective in preventing injuries.
