The influence of racket sports on sportsman's hand

Abstract

The authors present the results of comparison of reflex changes existence within the small muscles of the hand and the mobility of fingers, on the dominant hand, in three rocket sports. Tennis, table tennis and badminton are characterized by the permanent rocket holding, which changes, according to the type of strike. The aim of the study was to find out if the dominant hand changes, as a result of training, within the individual sports, differently. For objectification of the difference in expansion range occuring in fingers mobility on dominant hand, was used the syntopic measurement method. Palpatory examination assesed the existence of reflex changes in musculus (m.)digiti minimi, m. oponnens pollicis a m. adductor pollicis area. The research sample consisted of 90 respondents, out of them were 30 tennis players, 30 table tennis players and 30 badminton players the ages of 15 to 18, both sexes. The measurement was perfomed identicaly on the dominant hand and was compared to the results measured on the non-dominant hand. They supported the premise, that characteristic changes in the hand area are caused by trainings of all the rocket sports. Statistacally signicant restriction of fingers extension showed differently in the three sports, mostly in tennis, followed by table tennis and the least in badminton. Occurance of reflex changes was the most frequent in m. adductor pollicis in badminton and in zone m. oponnens pollicis, in tennis. The results of the research show the importance of paying attention not only to proximal joints of upper extremity, but also to a hand, as a final organ, which significantly contributes on the strike technique in all sports covered.