Evaluation of Pliers’ Grip span in Both Genders

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of gender and grip span (45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75mm) on resultant force, Individual finger force and subjective discomfort rating. A total of 16 participants (8 males, 8 Females) were participated in this study. All participants were asked to exert a maximum grip force with three repetitions, and to report the subjective discomfort rating for seven grip spans of pliers. A pair of revised pliers which can change grip span from 45 to 75mm was applied to estimate resultant force and individual finger force. For the resultant force, females had about 86.3% of males (413.69N vs. 357.90N) in this maximum gripping task. The largest resultant forces were obtained at grip spans of 50~75mm for males and 60~65mm for females, respectively. In the analysis of subjective discomfort ratings, the smallest and the largest grip spans (45 and 75mm) and the largest grip span (75mm) were rated as the most discomfort grip spans for males and females, respectively. Significantly males showed the least discomfort at 60~65mm, whereas females showed the least discomfort at 60mm. Therefore, based on the current study, 60~65mm and 60mm grip spans might be considered as appropriate grip spans for males and females.