Recommendations for Reducing Heterogeneity in Handgrip Strength Protocols
Ryan McGrath, P M Cawthon, Brian C. Clark, Roger A. Fielding, Justin J. Lang, Grant R. Tomkinson
Abstract
Handgrip dynamometers are widely used to measure handgrip strength (HGS). HGS is a safe and easy to obtain measure of strength capacity, and a reliable assessment of muscle function. Although HGS provides robust prognostic value and utility, several protocol variants exist for HGS in clinical settings and translational research. This lack of methodological consistency could threaten the precision of HGS measurements and limit comparisons between the growing number of studies measuring HGS. Providing awareness of the protocol variants for HGS and making suggestions to reduce the implications of these variants will help to improve methodological consistency. Moreover, leveraging recent advancements in HGS equipment may enable us to use more sophisticated HGS dynamometer technologies to better assess muscle function. This Special Article will 1) highlight differences in HGS protocols and instrumentation, 2) provide recommendations to better specify HGS procedures and equipment, and 3) present future research directions for studies that measure HGS. We also provided a minimum reporting criteria framework to help future research studies avoid underreporting of HGS procedures.