Associations between Handgrip Strength and Ultrasound-Measured Muscle Thickness of the Hand and Forearm in Young Men and Women

Abstract

It is unknown whether muscle size of intrinsic hand muscles is associated with handgrip strength. To investigate the relationships between handgrip strength and flexor muscle size of the hand and forearm, muscle thickness (MT) of 86 young adults (43 men and 43 women) between the ages of 18 and 34 y was measured by ultrasound. Two MTs (forearm radius and forearm ulna MT) in the anterior forearm, two MTs (lumbrical and dorsal interosseous MT) in the anterior hand and handgrip strength were measured on the right side. Linear regression with part (also referred to as semipartial) correlation coefficients revealed that forearm ulna MT positively correlated with handgrip strength in both men (part = 0.379, p = 0.001) and women (part = 0.268, p = 0.002). Dorsal interosseous MT correlated with handgrip strength in women only (part = 0.289, p = 0.001). Our results suggest that the forearm ulna and dorsal interosseous MTs for women and forearm ulna MTs for men are factors contributing to prediction of handgrip strength in young adults.