A COMPARITIVE STUDY OF GRIP STRENGTH OF DOMINANT AND NON-DOMINANT HANDS WITHIN AND BETWEEN RIGHT AND LEFT HANDED SUBJECTS

Abstract

Aim- Is to investigate differences in grip strength of dominant and non-dominant hand within and between right- and left-handed subjects. Background- Reliable and valid evaluation of hand strength is important for determining the effectivity of different treatment strategies and it also assesses the patient’s initial limitations and provides a quick reassessment of patient’s progress throughout the treatment. Handedness shows difference in qualities of an individual. Recent studies have attempted to provide a definitive picture of the performance differences between subjects’ dominant and non-dominant hands. But still there are many controversies regarding the differences in hand grip strength values between the dominant and non-dominant hands in left and right handed people. Method- With the use of handheld dynamometer maximal grip strength is measured in 24 left handed and 46 right handed subjects (Age group 18-35) with standard procedure. The paired and unpaired t-test were used for the Data Analysis. All the Statistical Analysis was performed using SPSS 28.0.0 Software. Result- The result shows that the dominant hands of the right-handed subjects were significantly stronger than the non-dominant hands at both elbow positions (p<0.05). In left handed subjects, the dominant and nondominant hands exhibit no significant differences at both elbow positions (p>0.05). For inter-group comparison of mean test values (dominant right-handed vs. Dominant left-handed) showed that the dominant hands of the right and left handers were not significantly different (p>0.05). Conclusion- The study concluded that there is significant difference in the grip strength in within group comparison of Right-handed subjects, but in the within group comparison of Left-handed subjects and in intergroup comparison of dominant hands of right and left handers there is no significant difference.