Hand and forearm strength and its relation to tennis

ALAN M. STRIZAK, MD, GILBERT W. GLEIM, MS, ALEXANDER SAPEGA, MD, AND JAMES A. NICHOLAS, MD

From the Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York

Eight expert tennis players and 12 non-tennis playing controls were studied to determine the relationship between dominant and minor extremities in regard to hand and forearm isometric strength. The results revealed that overall strength, including wrist extension, was significantly greater (P 0.01) in the dominant arm in both groups. The tennis players were distinguished from the controls by significantly increased strength of metacarpophalangeal joint extension of the fingers on the dominant side. Examination of a group of 16 "tennis elbow" sufferers demonstrated no significant extensor strength differential in the dominant arm, with no reports of pain during the testing procedure. The increased strength of hand extension in elite tennis players may be significant in explaining the observed rarity of "tennis elbow" in these individuals.

The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 11, No. 4, 234-39.