Acute Effects of Complex Hand Proprioceptive Task on Low-Frequency Hand Rest Tremor

Resting hand tremor is a low-frequency, involuntary oscillation influenced by mechanical and neural factors, often manifesting as inter-limb asymmetry. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether a single complex hand proprioceptive task can acutely modulate tremor in healthy young adults and whether it can induce asymmetry between limbs. Fifty participants (age: 25.0 ± 2.5 years) completed a 40-min proprioceptive task (anteroposterior, mediolateral, clockwise, and counterclockwise), with bilateral resting tremor recorded via triaxial accelerometry before and immediately after the intervention on both dominant and non-dominant limbs. Frequency-domain analysis showed a significant (p < 0.001) increase in tremor amplitude and a small decrease in mean frequency in the 2-4 Hz band immediately after the complex hand proprioceptive task for both limbs. These findings provide novel evidence that a single, wearable-based protocol can transiently modulate tremor dynamics, supporting the use of a non-invasive tool for neuromuscular monitoring in sport, rehabilitation, and clinical practice.