Analysis of the hand grip forces at elderly practicants and non-practicants of regular physical exercises / Análise da força de preensão manual em idosos praticantes e não praticantes de exercícios físicos regulares

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

Introduction: The hand grip is a very usual task in daily life. To grab or hold any object with hands and manipulate it, a minimum force and dexterity are necessary. In elderly people, due to the natural aging process and loss of muscular force, the hand grip biomechanical parameters can be indicators of total body force, independence and quality of life. Objective: to verify if there is any influence of superior members dominance and from regular physical exercise practice on force (Fmáx, %F, Ffinal.) and time (ICM, Delta t) parameters obtained from force vs time curves of continuous hand grip movement. Materials and Methods: 36 individuals: 66,5 4,8 year-old women and 68,8 6,8 year-old men divided in regular exercise practicants and non-practicants participated of the study. Data were collected using a hand grip dynamometer developed at the Instrumentation Laboratory (UDESC) with adjustable handle position in a range 4.5 to 5.5 cm. The protocol was carried out by executing a continuous hand grip movement during 30 s. The beginning and end of each experiment were conducted following the visual commands of the dynamometer software. Each experiment was measured twice in each hand, with 3 minutes interval between them. Individuals were positioned according to Hand Therapy American Society protocol. Results: Regular physical exercise practice has a significant influence on Fmax, Ffinal and Icm parameters at the dominant hand of women. In men, it was observed that physical exercise practice has influence in Ffinal only at the non-dominant hand. Conclusion: In women the practice of physical exercises regularly can influence the variables of strength and time suggesting that exercise reduces the losses arising from the age and men in this study were not verified difference.

ASSUNTO(S)

educacao fisica exercício físico regular regular physical exercises preensão manual idosos handgrip elderly

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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