EFFECT OF HAND EXERCISES ON LONG WRITING TASK IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

Writing is an essential form of communication in student’s life. Their finger and wrist pain after writing for even a few minutes.  A prospective study was conducted to investigate the effect of hand exercises on long writing task in secondary school students. 30 minutes of non-stop copy task followed with 12 sessions of 40-50 minutes exercise each.  Number of words written, grip & pinch strength was measured using visual analogue scale (VAS) and hand dynamometer respectively. Visual analogue scale was compared pre and post exercise using paired t-test and correlation between grip, pinch strength and pain reduction using Pearson’s Correlation. P-value (sig. value) from the statistic was 0.000 which is less than 0.05 showed a significant difference in pre and post treatment. Thus it concluded that handwriting speed; pinch and grip strength can be improved after the upper limb exercise program.