Hand and forearm strength and its relation to tennis

Abstract

Eight expert tennis players and 12 nontennis playing controls were studied to determine the relationship between dominant and minor extremities in regard to hand and forearm isometric strength. The results revealed that overall strength, including wrist extension, was significantly greater (P 0.01) in the dominant arm in both groups. The tennis players were distinguished from the controls by significantly increased strength of metacarpophalangeal joint extension of the fingers on the dominant side. Examination of a group of 16 "tennis elbow" sufferers demonstrated no significant extensor strength differential in the dominant arm, with no reports of pain during the testing procedure. The increased strength of hand extension in elite tennis players may be significant in explaining the observed rarity of "tennis elbow" in these individuals.

The effect of gender and lateral dominance on gripping muscle power in young adults

“…The MVC was significantly greater in the dominant hand than in the non-dominant hand and corroborated the results of Strizak et al [6]. The peak velocity and peak power of the dominant hand were significantly greater than those of the non-dominant hand for both sexes, and the lateral dominance was confirmed.…”

“…Lateral dominance is found particularly in movements involving the arm or fingers, such as throwing a ball, using a spoon, or writing, and results from the preferential and more frequent use of a particular hand in activities of daily life. Previous studies determined that the lateral dominance of the upper limb can be determined with the beans with tweezers test [5] and by evaluating maximal isometric extension and flexion strength [6] in hand joints and muscular strength of the upper limbs [7]. According to Miura et al [7], muscle composition differs in the right and left arms.…”

Assessment of functional recovery in tennis elbow

“…Previous studies of strength assessment in TE have been largely limited to grip and related measurements, and other muscle groups contributing to the upper limb kinetic chain received little attention (Steinbrocker, 1968;Strizak et al, 1983). In a recent methodological paper (Alizadehkhaiyat et al, 2007b) we defined some of these relationships in healthy controls, and went on to apply the methods to patients with TE (Alizadehkhaiyat et al, 2007c), measuring metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and wrist extension/flexion strength as well as shoulder muscle strength.…”

Assessment of the risk and biomechanical consequences of lateral epicondylalgia by estimating wrist and finger muscle capacities in tennis players

“…From these previous findings, it can be hypothesised that part of the risk of lateral epicondylalgia might be related to an inability for the extensors to generate the appropriate muscle force intensities to counteract the flexor muscle actions naturally induced while gripping and manipulating a tennis racket (Kaplan, 1965;Rossi et al, 2014;Strizak, Gleim, Sapega, & Nicholas, 1983). Assessing the relative force-generating capacity between extensor and flexor muscles, referred to as 'muscle capacity ratio' in this article, therefore appears pertinent in investigating lateral epicondylalgia risks and muscular adaptations resulting from playing tennis.…”