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Grip strength measurement: towards a standardised approach in sarcopenia research and practice

Grip strength measurement: towards a standardised approach in sarcopenia research and practice
Grip strength measurement: towards a standardised approach in sarcopenia research and practice
Introduction: Grip strength is a well-accepted measure of muscle strength. A standardized protocol for the measurement of grip strength has been proposed in 2011 to enable consistent measurement of grip strength and comparisons between studies. It is unknown whether this protocol has been adopted in sarcopenia research and practice. The aim of the study was to provide insight into current measurement practice, including the use of cut-off values for low muscle strength.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted, followed by a methodological quality assessment and extraction of relevant data. Inclusion criteria included a description of the grip strength protocol, EWGSOP standards were used to define sarcopenia, data was collected after 2010 and participants were 65 years and older.

Results: Twenty-seven observational papers were included in the review. The methodological quality was acceptable/good. Overall, information about the protocol was limited with a large variability in measurement approach. Most non-Asian studies used cut-off values for low grip strength of 30 kg for men and 20 kg for women. Asian studies showed more variability in choice of cut-off values.

Discussion: The proposed grip strength measurement protocol has been poorly adopted since its publication. Although there seems to be some agreement on cut-off values in non-Asian studies, proposed cut-off values need to be evaluated in specific diseases and settings and its predictive abilities regarding outcomes such as mobility limitations and falls needs to be determined. Asian research on cut-off values is still ongoing.
sarcopenia, grip strength, protocol, cut-off values
1878-7649
1-9
Schaap, L.A.
c8b7c287-3fb0-4f68-a070-dd73eab1ae47
Fox, B.
c64e116c-86d8-4eee-8045-4a7eecd894ca
Henwood, T.
e3719276-63fe-47f9-a102-de53a03897a7
Bruyere, O.
9c455ea4-7f77-407f-ab5a-ecb571db8245
Reginster, J.-Y.
8b548609-99db-46ae-a28a-7967ba8c7483
Beaudart, C.
930c27fa-d740-466d-a6f8-8ae4d6798a6c
Buckinx, F.
4ef71822-814f-46cd-b9e5-5177cfeadaed
Roberts, H.
5ea688b1-ef7a-4173-9da0-26290e18f253
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Cherubini, A.
d5bf21fa-0629-49c1-865b-461debf45d60
dell'Aquila, G.
607d847d-d31b-46c7-8ea1-9d7d5aca62eb
Maggio, M.
3b2a25d8-8d5a-446e-891e-08b7b2061a41
Volpato, S.
db86f462-92dd-4d8c-82bb-07b4f63f9fca
Schaap, L.A.
c8b7c287-3fb0-4f68-a070-dd73eab1ae47
Fox, B.
c64e116c-86d8-4eee-8045-4a7eecd894ca
Henwood, T.
e3719276-63fe-47f9-a102-de53a03897a7
Bruyere, O.
9c455ea4-7f77-407f-ab5a-ecb571db8245
Reginster, J.-Y.
8b548609-99db-46ae-a28a-7967ba8c7483
Beaudart, C.
930c27fa-d740-466d-a6f8-8ae4d6798a6c
Buckinx, F.
4ef71822-814f-46cd-b9e5-5177cfeadaed
Roberts, H.
5ea688b1-ef7a-4173-9da0-26290e18f253
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Cherubini, A.
d5bf21fa-0629-49c1-865b-461debf45d60
dell'Aquila, G.
607d847d-d31b-46c7-8ea1-9d7d5aca62eb
Maggio, M.
3b2a25d8-8d5a-446e-891e-08b7b2061a41
Volpato, S.
db86f462-92dd-4d8c-82bb-07b4f63f9fca

Schaap, L.A., Fox, B., Henwood, T., Bruyere, O., Reginster, J.-Y., Beaudart, C., Buckinx, F., Roberts, H., Cooper, C., Cherubini, A., dell'Aquila, G., Maggio, M. and Volpato, S. (2016) Grip strength measurement: towards a standardised approach in sarcopenia research and practice. European Geriatric Medicine, 1-9. (doi:10.1016/j.eurger.2015.11.012).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Introduction: Grip strength is a well-accepted measure of muscle strength. A standardized protocol for the measurement of grip strength has been proposed in 2011 to enable consistent measurement of grip strength and comparisons between studies. It is unknown whether this protocol has been adopted in sarcopenia research and practice. The aim of the study was to provide insight into current measurement practice, including the use of cut-off values for low muscle strength.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted, followed by a methodological quality assessment and extraction of relevant data. Inclusion criteria included a description of the grip strength protocol, EWGSOP standards were used to define sarcopenia, data was collected after 2010 and participants were 65 years and older.

Results: Twenty-seven observational papers were included in the review. The methodological quality was acceptable/good. Overall, information about the protocol was limited with a large variability in measurement approach. Most non-Asian studies used cut-off values for low grip strength of 30 kg for men and 20 kg for women. Asian studies showed more variability in choice of cut-off values.

Discussion: The proposed grip strength measurement protocol has been poorly adopted since its publication. Although there seems to be some agreement on cut-off values in non-Asian studies, proposed cut-off values need to be evaluated in specific diseases and settings and its predictive abilities regarding outcomes such as mobility limitations and falls needs to be determined. Asian research on cut-off values is still ongoing.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 25 November 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 11 February 2016
Keywords: sarcopenia, grip strength, protocol, cut-off values
Organisations: Faculty of Medicine

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 390282
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/390282
ISSN: 1878-7649
PURE UUID: 1ebb4cbe-17d3-450d-ae42-986f64cec560
ORCID for H. Roberts: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5291-1880
ORCID for C. Cooper: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0709

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 23 Mar 2016 10:04
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 02:56

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Contributors

Author: L.A. Schaap
Author: B. Fox
Author: T. Henwood
Author: O. Bruyere
Author: J.-Y. Reginster
Author: C. Beaudart
Author: F. Buckinx
Author: H. Roberts ORCID iD
Author: C. Cooper ORCID iD
Author: A. Cherubini
Author: G. dell'Aquila
Author: M. Maggio
Author: S. Volpato

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