Influence of Pain Associated with Musculoskeletal Disorders on Grip Force Timing

Abstract Study Design Retrospective repeated-measures design. Introduction Pain is a common symptom associated with musculoskeletal conditions. Purpose This study examined if pain resulting from a unilateral upper extremity musculoskeletal injury compromises the person's ability to rapidly initiate and release handgrip. Methods Delays in initiating and releasing a handgrip were determined for 28 individuals with “low pain” and 12 individuals with “high pain” in the injured upper extremity. All participants had no pain in the uninjured upper extremity. Results The high-pain group was 10% slower in initiating and releasing a grip than the low-pain group, in both injured and uninjured upper extremities, for both maximal and submaximal grips. In addition, delay in grip initiation was, on average, 8% longer for the injured than for the uninjured upper extremity. Conclusions Unilateral musculoskeletal pain appears to delay grip initiation and relaxation bilaterally, perhaps due to a centrally mediated mechanism. Level of Evidence n/a.