Handgrip Strength: An Irreplaceable Indicator of Muscle Function

Abstract

Handgrip strength (HGS) is a simple and reliable measurement of maximum voluntary muscle strength. It is an important tool for diagnosing sarcopenia and is widely used as a single indicator to represent overall muscle strength [1][2][3][4]. HGS can predict not only muscle mass and physical activity [5], but also the incidence of chronic diseases, nutritional status, quality of life, independence of daily life, length of hospital stay, and even mortality [6][7][8][9].The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) and the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) recommended HGS as one of the axes for diagnosing sarcopenia [1,2]. HGS measurement is also the first step in the diagnosis of sarcopenia; according to the algorithm for sarcopenia detection from the EWGSOP-2, if a subject's HGS is normal, no further screening test is necessary [2].HGS varies according to age, sex, and race [10]. In Asians, the AWGS first proposed a low HGS to be <26 kg in men and <18 kg women or the lower 20th percentile of the HGS of the study population before outcome-based data are available [11]. An update from the AWGS in 2016 suggested that previous consensus cutoff points might require further modifications [1], and the AWGS recently suggested a low HGS of <28.0 kg for men and <17.7 kg for women with pooled datasets from various countries in

Phase Angle and Handgrip Strength as Predictors of Clinical Outcomes in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

“…HGS is a straightforward, repeatable, and affordable method for assessing muscular strength in clinical practice [ 26 ]. It is also used for the diagnose of sarcopenia [ 32 ] and it is associated with several chronic diseases, LOS and mortality [ 33 ]. It involves using a dynamometer to determine the maximal static force that a hand can exert [ 26 ].…”

Effectiveness of an adapted physical activity intervention on health-related physical fitness in adolescents with intellectual disability: a randomized controlled trial

“…The handgrip strength test and 30-s sit-ups were used to measure muscular strength and endurance. The handgrip strength test was applied to measure the strength of the hand and forearm muscles, which was commonly used to indicate muscular strength 25 , 26 . The participants were instructed to maintain a standing position, with arms parallel but not touching the body, and to squeeze a handgrip dynamometer (Takei, TKK5001, GRIP-A digital dynamometer) as hard as possible.…”

High grip strength attenuates risk of severe COVID-19 in males but not females with obesity: A short communication of prospective findings from UK Biobank

“… [3] Although this study did not factor in grip strength in its definition of sarcopenic obesity, grip strength is often used as a diagnostic criterion for sarcopenia owing to its association with muscle mass and strength. [5] , [6] Moreover, grip strength is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome and its components, including impaired glucose and lipid metabolism, [7] which have been shown to partly mediate the association between obesity and risk of severe COVID-19. [8] Notably, Garcia-Hermosa et al found that a high grip strength may attenuate obesity-related cardiometabolic risk, [9] which, as previously mentioned, may propagate COVID-19 severity.…”