Hand strength

As a manual force or arm strength is defined as the force of the people who use the muscles of the hand and the arm can be generated. This can be used as a compressive or tensile force , for example to crush (crush or grind) solids , to bend them, or to manually drive an object or a technical system such as a pulley block . With the help of these forces it is possible to hold things in hand, lift them up and let them go again.

description

Hand and arm strength play a special role in various sports , such as

• Rowing or paddling
• Climb
• Discus , hammer or javelin throw
• Archery or crossbow shooting
• Shuttlecock , badminton , table tennis or tennis
• Handball , netball or basketball
• Dancing , for example with lifting figures or throwing in rock'n'roll , figure skating or ice dancing
• Weightlifting
• Judo , wrestling , boxing and some other martial arts
• Wheelchair sport

In some of these sports, in addition to technique, speed and strength of the legs are of decisive importance.

When using hand tools such as pliers or scissors , hand strength is also of great importance. The same applies to the handling of a wheelchair that is moved with the hands.

Size and measurement of hand strength

The size of the possible hand or arm strength depends, among other things, on the length of the levers given by the joints . The lengths of the upper arm , forearm and the various limbs of the fingers thus define the forces possible according to the laws of lever.

The torque when using a wrench depends, for example, on its length and the manual force exerted. The longer the lever arm, the less effort is required.

In geriatrics , the measurement of hand strength is part of an impact analysis , more precisely the so-called geriatric assessment . The hand pressure force can be measured with a Collin dynamometer , for example . Another possibility is the hydraulic Jamar dynamometer, which shows the values ​​on a digital display.

literature

For hand pressure force measurement:

• Article in: Archive for Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, with special consideration of fracture theory and orthopedic-surgical technology . 31/1., ISSN  0003-9330 .
  • Karl H. Erb, Wolf Rabinowitsch: Clinical studies on hand force measurement with the Collin dynamometer. doi: 10.1007 / BF02562083 , pp. 255-266.
  • Karl H. Erb: About the value of manual force measurement in medical expert work. doi: 10.1007 / BF02562084 , pp. 267-274.
• Georg Wissensner, Barbara Buhl, Harald Menzel: Hand pressure force. In: Sport, Age and Health. Sociological, performance biographical, anthropometric and medical examinations on strength, endurance and non-athletes of senior age. (= Karlsruhe sports science contributions. 1.) Univ.-Verl. Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe 2006, ISBN 3-937-30099-6 , p. 69 ( online ).

Web links

• Standard value study M3 Diagnos System of the Friedrich Baur Institute at the Neurological Clinic and Polyclinic of the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (PDF)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Christoph Revermann, Katrin Gerlinger: Technologies in the context of disabilities: building blocks for participation in everyday life and work. Ed. Sigma, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-836-08130-6 , p. 51.
2. ↑ Simple calculation examples for torque: on psbregenz.at, accessed on February 25, 2015.
3. ↑ About the value of hand force measurement in the case of medical expert work on link.springer.com, accessed on February 25, 2015.
4. ↑ German Society for Hand Surgery: Hand strength measurement by means of a pressure distribution measuring system In: 53rd Congress of the German Society for Hand Surgery. German Medical Science GMS Publishing House, Düsseldorf 2012, doi: 10.3205 / 12dgh71 .