Influence of waterproof covering on finger skin temperature and hand pain during immersion test for diagnosing hand-arm vibration syndrome.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of waterproof covering on finger skin temperature (FST) and hand pain during immersion test for diagnosing hand-arm vibration syndrome complying with the proposal of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/ CD14835-1, 2001) for measurement procedure. Six healthy male subjects took part in the immersion tests and immersed their both hands into water at 12 degrees C for 5 min, repeatedly with two types of waterproof covering (polyethylene and natural rubber gloves) or without hand covering (bare hands) during immersion. The FST data from middle fingers and subjective pain scores for hand pain were analyzed. Statistically significant differences in FST among three conditions were observed showing the highest FST with natural rubber gloves, followed by the FST with polyethylene gloves and the lowest with bare hands. Significant differences in pain score among three conditions were observed during immersion showing the lowest pain score with natural rubber gloves, followed by the pain score with polyethylene gloves and the highest with bare hands. Immersion test with polyethylene gloves instead of bare hands during immersion seems to be suitable for reducing subject suffering.