Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 May;27(2):85-96.
doi: 10.11005/jbm.2020.27.2.85. Epub 2020 May 31.

Measurement and Interpretation of Handgrip Strength for Research on Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis

Seung Hoo Lee  1 , Hyun Sik Gong  2
Affiliations
Review

Measurement and Interpretation of Handgrip Strength for Research on Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis

Seung Hoo Lee et al. J Bone Metab. 2020 May.

Abstract

Handgrip strength (HGS) is associated with several chronic diseases, cognitive decline, length of hospital-stay, and mortality. More importantly, HGS is one of the diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia and gaining attention because of its relevance to bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporotic fractures. As the measurement of HGS is widely used in clinical practice as well as in research, its accurate measurement and interpretation are becoming more crucial. This review describes how to use different types of dynamometers accurately, the impact of body and arm positions and anthropometric parameters on HGS, the current reference values of HGS for sarcopenia research, and the updates on the relationship between HGS and BMD and osteoporotic fractures.

Keywords: Hand strength; Muscle strength; Muscle strength dynamometer; Osteoporosis; Sarcopenia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. (A) Hydraulic type dynamometer (Jamar). It consists of two handles and one handle is curved to fit the hand. It has five handle position (①, ②, ③, ④, ⑤) for different handle size. Among them, the second handle (②) is the standard position suggested by the the American Society of Hand Therapist and the most commonly used position. (B) Jamar displays grip force in pounds and kg up to 200 pounds or 90 kg. The needle records automatically the highest force exerted to provide an easy and exact reading.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Pneumatic type dynamometer (Martin Vigorimeter). Three sizes of balloons are available for pediatric and adults.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Mechanical type dynamometer (Smedley type). (A) Baseline. (B) Takei, GRIP-A.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rantanen T, Guralnik JM, Sakari-Rantala R, et al. Disability, physical activity, and muscle strength in older women: the Women's Health and Aging Study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1999;80:130–135. - PubMed
    1. Alfaro-Acha A, Al Snih S, Raji MA, et al. Handgrip strength and cognitive decline in older Mexican Americans. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2006;61:859–865. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Keevil V, Mazzuin Razali R, Chin AV, et al. Grip strength in a cohort of older medical inpatients in Malaysia: a pilot study to describe the range, determinants and association with length of hospital stay. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2013;56:155–159. - PubMed
    1. Cooper R, Kuh D, Hardy R. Objectively measured physical capability levels and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2010;341:c4467. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hirschfeld HP, Kinsella R, Duque G. Osteosarcopenia: where bone, muscle, and fat collide. Osteoporos Int. 2017;28:2781–2790. - PubMed