Abstract
Background: Maximal handgrip strength (HGS) could be an incomplete and unidimensional measure of muscle function. This pilot study sought to examine the relationships between maximal HGS, radial and ulnar digit grip strength, submaximal HGS force control, HGS fatigability, neuromuscular HGS steadiness, and HGS asymmetry in older adults. Methods: A digital handgrip dynamometer and accelerometer was used to collect several HGS measurements from 13 adults aged 70.9 ± 4.0 years: maximal strength, radial and ulnar digit grip strength, submaximal force control, fatigability, neuromuscular steadiness, and asymmetry. Pearson correlations determined the relationships between individual HGS measurements. A principal component analysis was used to derive a collection of new uncorrelated variables from the HGS measures we examined. Results: The individual HGS measurements were differentially correlated. Maximal strength (maximal HGS, radial digit strength, ulnar digits strength), contractile steadiness (maximal HGS steadiness, ulnar digit grip strength steadiness), and functional strength (submaximal HGS force control, HGS fatigability, HGS asymmetry, HGS fatigability steadiness) emerged as dimensions from the HGS measurements that we evaluated. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that these additional measures of muscle function may differ from maximal HGS alone. Continued research is warranted for improving how we assess muscle function with more modern technologies, including handgrip dynamometry and accelerometry.
Highlights
Hydraulic handgrip dynamometers are often used to measure handgrip strength (HGS) [1].Maximal HGS is a convenient assessment of overall muscle strength and a reliable measure of muscle function [2,3]
Maximal HGS was positively correlated with ulnar digit strength (r = 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73, 0.97), radial digit strength (r = 0.94; CI: 0.82, 0.98), maximal HGS steadiness (r = 0.55; CI: 0.01, 0.84), and radial digit strength steadiness (r = 0.56; CI: 0.02, 0.85), but negatively correlated with submaximal HGS force control
Fatigability was moderately correlated with maximal strength, radial digit strength steadiness was almost largely correlated with radial digit strength, and HGS asymmetry ratio was slightly correlated with submaximal HGS force control
Summary
Hydraulic handgrip dynamometers are often used to measure handgrip strength (HGS) [1].Maximal HGS is a convenient assessment of overall muscle strength and a reliable measure of muscle function [2,3]. Geriatrics 2020, 5, 86 assessments, and measures of HGS are becoming commonplace in clinical and research settings to determine prognosis for health conditions related to poor muscle function [7]. While HGS is a convenient assessment of strength capacity, the use of HGS has undergone criticism for being a proxy measure of overall muscle strength. Maximal handgrip strength (HGS) could be an incomplete and unidimensional measure of muscle function This pilot study sought to examine the relationships between maximal HGS, radial and ulnar digit grip strength, submaximal HGS force control, HGS fatigability, neuromuscular HGS steadiness, and HGS asymmetry in older adults. Methods: A digital handgrip dynamometer and accelerometer was used to collect several HGS measurements from 13 adults aged 70.9 ± 4.0 years: maximal strength, radial and ulnar digit grip strength, submaximal force control, fatigability, neuromuscular steadiness, and asymmetry. Continued research is warranted for improving how we assess muscle function with more modern technologies, including handgrip dynamometry and accelerometry
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