A Comparison of Dominant and Non-Dominant Hand Strengths
- 1 August 1999
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume)
- Vol. 24 (4) , 421-425
- https://doi.org/10.1054/jhsb.1999.0236
Abstract
This study compares dominant and non-dominant hand strength in both right- and left-handed participants. Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle, power grip strength and pulp-to-pulp pinch strength were assessed under carefully controlled conditions. No significant differences were observed between dominant and non-dominant hands in left-handed participants for all tests. Small but significant differences (0.1–3%) were observed between dominant and non-dominant hands in right-handed participants for all three tests. These differences were much smaller than those reported in other studies. Furthermore, considerable variability was observed in the relative strengths of the two hands for each participant. We conclude that clinicians must be cautious when using the ‘10% rule’ to make comparisons between injured and uninjured hands.Keywords
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