Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the acute effect of grip and feed exertions on the vascular system at the fingers during exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV), and to identify which active hand force situation would have the most effect on finger vascular function. A total of 12 individuals attended the test, and each of them were subjected to eight sets of force-and-vibration situations: four with combinations of forces and vibration, and four control ones with only hand forces applied. The vibration stimulus was applied on the right hand at 2.75 m/s(2) with a frequency of 125 Hz for three minutes, during which the application of grip and feed forces were set at either 10 N or 50 N. The weakening of the finger vascular function was reflected by a reduction in the finger blood flow (FBF) and finger skin temperature (FST). They were tested on both hands at fixed intervals before, during and after the exposure for in-time measurement. Hand forces resulted in clear reductions in FBF and FST in exposed right fingers whether the force was exerted solely or combined with vibration. The greater the hand force (especially grip force), the stronger the vascular response, while the additional reductions in FBF and FST from vibration were not significant. In the non-exposed left fingers, no significant changes in finger circulation occurred in response to force or vibration. Generally, vibration-induced acute finger vasoconstriction was affected by the hand forces, in which hand force seemed to play a more important part than vibration. A larger grip force would lead to a greater loss in the digital circulation than feed force. Thus, the level of hand force exerted on the tool handle should be limited to reduce the risk of harm from HAV.