Grip strength, also known as hand strength, is an anthropometric measurement that indicates muscle health in the hands and forearms.
It is an indicator of the overall well-being of an adult subject.
Grip strength is measured using a hand-held dynamometer.
The patient squeezes the dynamometer with all of their strength, usually three times with each hand.
An average score is then calculated using the measurements from both hands.
A healthy minimum squeeze measurement is associated with better mobility in older adults were approximately 72.6 pounds for men of normal weight and 44 pounds for women.
Grip strength grows weaker with age.
Grip strength eventually affects day-to-day function: opening jars, carrying groceries and turning doorknobs.
Grip strength data in approximately 375,000 subjects without comorbidities found a lower risk of heart failure with each 5 kg increase in grip strength accompanied by a 19% reduction in the risk for heart failure.
Grip strength measurements are are sensitive enough to detect changes in hand strength.
Grip strength is a reliable indicator of a greater risk of heart attack or stroke.
It is correlated with muscular fitness and is a powerful predictor of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, neurologic disorders and future disability.
Grip strength is a dominant predictor of poor health outcomes in older adults such as poor quality of life, increased hospitalizations, reduced functional capabilities, and death.
Researchers have found that an 11-pound decrease in grip strength is correlated to a 17 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death, a 7 percent increased risk of heart attack and a 9 percent increased risk of stroke.
Poorer grip strength is associated with greater mortality among elderly adults.
It is often used as a proxy for overall muscle strength.
Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull on or suspend from objects and is a specific part of hand strength.
Grip strength is a general term used to refer to the physical strength of the muscular power and force that can be generated with the hands.
Significant muscular endurance is necessary to have a good carrying grip.
The average for grip strength of men is higher than that of women.
The grip strength of 90% of women is lower than that of 95% of men.
Average grip strength also exist for different types of grip in different positions.
Grip strength varies depending on the arm position at which the grip strength is being measured: grip strength usually results in having the strongest grip strength when their arm is extended at 90° before the body:as apposed to the other extreme arm positions, rested at one’s side or held straight up above one’s head.
Grip strength diminishes as the arm is extended backwards beyond the resting position at the body’s sides.
Grip strength is affected by the different arm muscles and their ability to contract.
Grip strength is used to indicate changes in hand strength after hand surgery or after a rehabilitation program.
The maximum grip contraction for long periods, it can be used as a measure of fatigue.
Grip strength is able to predict a decline in function in old age.
Grip strength involves the action of a large number of different joints and muscle groups, and is not always very sensitive to measure individual muscle groups.
Grip strength directly correlates to mental state.
Higher grip is less likely to have associated depression symptoms and those with lower grip strength.
It can be used to measure the degree of rehabilitation from injuries, physical stability, and has a direct correlation in older people of overall body strength.
Strengthening the grip helps people recover from sport injuries.
Hand grip is an important component of strength in sports.
Some studies indicate that grip strength has an effect on depression and is inversely associated with incident depression, especially in women.
Increasing hand grip strength decreases the risk for depressive symptoms among men and women from different age groups and suggests there is an inter-relationship between physical and psychological factors among older adults.
Promoting mental health is important to promote physical health.
Grip strength is it common marker of overall physical health, which is increasingly recognized to be related to mental health conditions.
Grip strength is suggested to be an indicator of cognitive impairment in patients with major depression and is associated with increased hippocampal volume, and reduced white matter hyper intensity: reduced hippocampal gray matter volume is evident in patients with major depressive disorders compared with healthy individuals, whereas white matter hyperintensities or an important marker of aging related cognition decline.
Higher grip strength decreases the risk for depressive symptoms among men and women from different age groups.