Impact of posture and upper-limb muscle activity on grip strength

Abstract

Purpose. The current research was carried out to determine grip strength (GS) with change in posture and upper-limb muscle activity of manual workers and investigate the impacts of these changes. Methods. For the current research, 120 male and 80 female participants were selected and GS was assessed using a digital hand grip dynamometer in various conditions. Results. The outcomes showed that male participants had higher GS as compared to female participants. Maximum GS was found in a standing posture with the fixed forward shoulder at 45°, elbow at 90° and a neutral position of the wrist and forearm for all participants. Conclusions. Higher values of GS were attained in standing postures which may result in attainment of higher performance levels by the workers. The outcomes justify the importance of correct postures during manual work in industries employing traditional methods.

Keywords:

• agriculture
• grip strength
• manual workers
• posture
• upper-limb muscle activity

Acknowledgements

The corresponding author is thankful to the Ministry of Human Resource Department (MHRD) India for providing a fellowship for this research work and is also grateful to the co-authors for their suggestions at every stage of this study. The authors are very pleased with the favourable comments of the reviewers and duly grateful for the support and encouragement they have afforded.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Rahul Jain http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4355-7744

Makkhan Lal Meena http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8216-0929