Affiliations: [a] Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine,
Second Medical Faculty, Charles University and University Hospital Motol,
Prague, Czech Republic | [b] School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida,
Tampa, FL, USA | [c] International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's
University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Alena Kobesova, Department of
Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, Second Medical Faculty, Charles University
and University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, Prague 5, 159 00, Czech Republic.
Tel.: +420 224 43 9264; Fax: +420 224 439 220; E-mail: alenamudr@me.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Shoulder girdle stabilization influences hand strength
but the effects of functional training remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of shoulder girdle
stabilization on hand muscle strength. METHODS: Handgrip strength (with hand in neutral position,
supination, pronation) and tripod pinch strength were measured in 20 healthy
volunteers (10 in training/control groups) weekly over six weeks. The training
consisted of six specific Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) exercises
performed five times per week. The exercises were designed to obtain maximum
joint stability within the shoulder. RESULTS: Using mixed effects models, the training group showed
significant improvement relative to the control group on all measures of hand
muscle strength (p< 0.05). The gains were particularly pronounced in
handgrip strength in the neutral position (dominant hand: Estimate=0.26,
standard error [SE]=0.04, p< 0.001; non-dominant hand: Estimate=0.23,
SE=0.03, p< 0.001). That is, the training group gained about 0.25 standard
deviations over the control group per session for a total of 1.5 standard
deviations (about 27 Newtons) across all sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Shoulder girdle exercises based on DNS may generate
clinically significant gains in hand muscle strength.
