Electromyographic Evaluation of Grip Force and Anthropometrics of the Dominant Hand in Cricketers

Background Cricket is a physically challenging sport with multiple specializations that call for different levels of fitness. Cricket stands as the second most popular sport being played worldwide. In the game of cricket, during gripping activities, flexor muscles of the hand create grip force, and the assessment of grip force is useful to explore the batting posture diversity of batsmen. Grip force can be assessed by handgrip strength (HGS), which serves as a vital measure of the muscular power of the hand. Arm anthropometrics is an array of indices to measure muscle and fat content by measuring the arm dimensions. Electromyography (EMG) is used to assess the electrical activity of the flexors of the hand during voluntary contraction and gives an idea about the grip of a person. Linking both EMG and anthropometrics with the hand grip function test of the dominant hand of a cricketer could provide a comprehensive, all-around fitness assessment at one go. Methodology The study design was descriptive and cross-sectional, carried out as a collaborative project performed in the anatomy and physiology departments of a rural medical college. A total of 80 participants (40 cricketers and 40 age-matched controls) within the age group of 17-25 years were included in the study using the convenience sampling technique. The study participants were evaluated for EMG and arm anthropometrics of the dominant hand. Unpaired Student's t-test and Pearson's correlation test were utilized for the data analysis and to determine the relationship among the study variables. Results The mean age of cricketers was 20.08 ±0.81 years, and controls were 20.00 ± 0.69 years. The difference between means of age, height, weight, BMI, systolic blood pressure (BP), and diastolic BP was not statistically significant. Cricketers had significantly higher values of arm anthropometric parameters, such as mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), mid-upper arm area (MUAA), mid-upper arm muscle circumference (MUAMC), mid-upper arm muscle area (MUAMA), corrected mid-upper arm muscle area (CMUAMA), and body fat % than those of controls. On correlation analysis of mean HGS, a statistically significant positive association with MUAMA (r value = 0.42, p = 0.005) was found, with statistically significant negative correlation with TSF (r = -0.39, p = 0.01) and with an arm fat index (AFI; r = -0.40, p = 0.008). On correlation analysis of the root mean square (RMS) of EMG, there was significant correlation with all arm anthropometrics, such as MUAC (r = 0.47), MUAA (r = 0.48), MUAMA (r = 0.41), mean HGS ( r = 0.39), and max HGS (r = 0.47). Conclusion A cricketer's grip force assessment has a crucial role in preventing injuries and maintaining overall fitness. The present study demonstrated that arm anthropometrics, HGS, and RMS of EMG are significantly greater in cricket players in comparison to controls. The latter two variables showed good correlation with the majority of the arm anthropometric variables recorded. The data of mean HGS, max HGS, mean RMS EMG, and various arm anthropometrics derived from this research could serve as a reference for comparison of healthy and injured cricketers. Training programs that emphasize HGS and anthropometric evaluation at different levels, such as institute, university, state, and national, may be planned in order to improve the overall performance of cricketers.