Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect on motor skill and pinch grip of two different types of electrical stimulus, targeting the muscles and nerves, before exercise. [Subjects] The subjects were 8 healthy adults. [Method] We used a task of rotating a wooden ball in the palm of the hand. When subjects’ performance had stabilized after practice, we applied the electrical stimulus. The electrical stimulus was delivered to the ball of the thumb (100 Hz, 120 sec) and to the ulnar nerve (centrally, 10 Hz, 60 min). Pinch grip strength and the number of ball rotations were measured before and after the electrical stimuli. [Results] For both stimuli, a significant increase in the number of rotations was found after stimulation, when compared to before, and in the comparison of percentage change, the muscle stimulation showed a significantly higher value. However, no change was found in pinch grip. [Conclusion] The results suggest the possibility that, compared to ulnar nerve stimulation, short-term muscle stimulation is a useful method for raising motor skill.
