Measurement and Interpretation of Handgrip Strength for Research on Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis

Seung Hoo Lee; Hyun Sik Gong

doi:10.11005/jbm.2020.27.2.85

Measurement and Interpretation of Handgrip Strength for Research on Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis

J Bone Metab. 2020 May;27(2):85-96. doi: 10.11005/jbm.2020.27.2.85. Epub 2020 May 31.

Authors

Seung Hoo Lee¹, Hyun Sik Gong²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Regional Rheumatoid and Degenerative Arthritis Center, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
² Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea.

Abstract

Handgrip strength (HGS) is associated with several chronic diseases, cognitive decline, length of hospital-stay, and mortality. More importantly, HGS is one of the diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia and gaining attention because of its relevance to bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporotic fractures. As the measurement of HGS is widely used in clinical practice as well as in research, its accurate measurement and interpretation are becoming more crucial. This review describes how to use different types of dynamometers accurately, the impact of body and arm positions and anthropometric parameters on HGS, the current reference values of HGS for sarcopenia research, and the updates on the relationship between HGS and BMD and osteoporotic fractures.

Keywords: Hand strength; Muscle strength; Muscle strength dynamometer; Osteoporosis; Sarcopenia.

Publication types

Review