Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground:Grip strength, commonly evaluated with the handgrip dynamometer, is a good indicator of upper limb (UL) function in stroke subjects and may reflect the global strength deficits of the whole paretic UL. The Modified Sphygmomanometer Test (MST) also provides objective and adequate measures at low-cost. Objective:To assess whether grip strength values obtained by using the MST and those obtained by using a handgrip dynamometer would present similar correlations with the global strength and motor function of the paretic UL in subjects with stroke, both in the subacute and chronic phases. Method:Measures of grip strength (MST and handgrip dynamometer), UL global strength (MST and hand-held dynamometer), and UL motor function (Fugl-Meyer motor assessment scale) were obtained with 33 subacute and 44 chronic stroke subjects. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated and Stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate predictor variables of grip strength (α=0.05). Results:Significant correlations of similar magnitude were found between measures of global strength of the paretic UL and grip strength assessed with both the MST (0.66≤r≤0.78) and handgrip dynamometer (0.66≤r≤0.78) and between UL motor function and grip strength assessed with both the MST (0.50≤rs≤0.51) and hand-held dynamometer (0.50≤rs≤0.63) in subacute and chronic stroke subjects. Only global strength remained as a significant predictor variable of grip strength for the MST (0.43≤R2≤0.61) and for the handgrip dynamometer (0.44≤R2≤0.61) for both stroke subgroups. Conclusion:Grip strength assessed with the MST could be used to report paretic UL global strength.
Highlights
Difficulties in the use of the upper limbs (ULs) for the completion of activities of daily living are common in subjects with stroke and lead to functional limitations and participation restrictions[1,2,3,4]
The secondary objective of this study was to determine whether the prediction model of grip strength measured with the Modified Sphygmomanometer Test (MST) would be similar to that measured with a handgrip dynamometer, both for subjects in the subacute and chronic phases of the stroke, taking into account as predictive variables those that have shown significant correlations with grip strength, including sex[10,11], age[10,11], UL motor function[3,4], and global UL strength[17,18]
The exclusion criteria were: cognitive impairments identified by using the Mini-Mental State Examination[23]; pain during the tests; and other neurological, rheumatologic, and/or orthopedic dysfunctions that might impair the performance of the muscle strength tests, such as rheumatoid arthritis, fractures, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Summary
Difficulties in the use of the upper limbs (ULs) for the completion of activities of daily living are common in subjects with stroke and lead to functional limitations and participation restrictions[1,2,3,4]. Muscle weakness of the ULs after stroke is associated with many of these limitations[4,5,6]. Commonly evaluated with a handgrip dynamometer, has been used in both clinical practice and scientific research as an evaluative, discriminative, and predictive parameter in different population groups because it is a quick, objective, and implemented measure[8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16]. The reported reference values for this measure allow the differentiation between subjects of any age or sex[10,11] and the clinical identification of muscle weakness and adequate therapeutic planning[12]. Grip strength shows a predictive value and relates to several factors, such as mortality and
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
