Grip Type Alters Maximal Pinch Forces in Syringe Use

Area of Science:

• Ergonomics and Occupational Health
• Biomechanics of Hand Grips
• Healthcare Worker Safety

Background:

• Prolonged syringe use in chemotherapy administration is linked to pain and injury among nurses and technicians.
• Understanding grip forces is crucial for mitigating occupational hazards in healthcare settings.
• Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent a significant risk for healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the maximum forces exerted during syringe use with various common hand grips.
• To identify which grip types and configurations yield the highest force output.
• To inform strategies for reducing physical strain and MSD risk in healthcare workers.

Main Methods:

• Twenty healthy female hospital workers performed isometric maximum voluntary force generation tasks.
• A 30 cc syringe was used with four distinct pinch grips (chuck, chuck variation, thenar, two-handed).
• Testing involved both dominant and non-dominant hands, with fixed plunger positions at wide (8.3 cm) and narrow (2.5 cm) grip spans.

Main Results:

• Significant interaction effects were observed for Grip Span × Pinch Type, Hand × Pinch Type, and Grip Span × Hand × Pinch Type (p < .05).
• The thenar (103.6 ± 22.9 N) and two-handed (104.7 ± 17.1 N) pinch grips produced the highest maximum forces.
• Force generation varied significantly based on grip type, hand used, and grip span.

Conclusions:

• Thenar and two-handed pinch grips are associated with the highest force generation during syringe use.
• Adopting these grips may lower the physical effort required for syringe operations.
• Implementing preferred grips can be a key strategy to reduce the risk of MSDs for healthcare workers.