Biomechanical pressures and upper extremity asymmetry: A study on young laborers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to reveal the impacts of biomechanical pressures of heavy working conditions on the upper extremities of young laborers. The study covers the examination of the upper extremities of 104 young laborers in the industrial workshops of Ankara, Turkey regarding bilateral asymmetry. The average age of the laborers was 18.48 +/- 0.61 years. The control group consisted of 102 non-laborers with an average age of 18.39 +/- 0.58 years. The laborers were measured with regard to width of elbows, wrists, and hands, and the length of hands. No significant difference between the groups was observed with the exception of average wrist width. However, while the labor group showed directional asymmetry in all measurements the non-laborers exhibited directional asymmetry only in hand width and length. Consequently, the study revealed that biomechanical pressures tend to increase directional asymmetry in the upper extremities.