Effect of wrist position on young adults pinch grip control

Abstract

Pinch grip is used in a large number of handling activities that require precision and control of an object. The position of the upper arm joints affects the fingers force production in order to handle the object. This study aimed to verify the influence of the wrist position in the production of maximum strength and in the control fingers grip pinch submaximum strength control. Participants were 21 right handed adults (10 male, 18-26 years old). They made two attempts of maximum force production and eight attempts of submaximal force production (four at 20% and four at 40% of maximum strength) for pinch grip in three wrist positions: neutral, flexion and extension. The results showed that the production of maximum strength is higher in neutral position compared to wrist flexion and extension and higher for men compared to women. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the length of the hand and the production of maximum strength. The results also indicated that the wrist position did not interfere in the submaximum force control during this task. However, participants showed more difficulty controlling 20% than 40% of maximum strength. The present study showed evidence that the motor units used to produce grip pinch maximum strength cross the wrist joint but those used for the 20% and 40% of maximum strength are present only in the fingers and hand.