The influence of elbow and forearm posture on grip force perception in healthy individuals

This study aimed to examine the influence of elbow and forearm postures, as well as sex, on the perception of grip force in a sample of individuals without any known health conditions. A total of 21 healthy participants (10 women and 11 men) from college were included and completed a force reproducibility assignment with four elbow and forearm positions (full pronation, supination, and extension, and at 90° of flexion) at three force levels (10%, 30%, and 50% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction [MVIC]). Our results show that participants were more sensitive in detecting variations in their grip force when their elbow was in full supination (14.1 ± 8.5% MVIC, p < .05) and full extension (13.8 ± 10.1% MVIC, p < .01) than when it was at 90° of flexion (19.9 ± 20.1% MVIC). The normalized absolute error exhibited comparable patterns among both male and female participants. Specifically, when the working range of the muscles increased (as indicated by higher maximum voluntary isometric contraction values in males), the accuracy decreased (as reflected by the more significant absolute error in men). Moreover, men exhibited a greater degree of both constant and variable error than women. Recent research indicates that the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is higher in women than in males. The results we obtained may contribute to developing strategies to reduce injury risk.