Hand Grip Strength in Chilean Adults

Context Hand grip strength (HGS) is an important parameter to assess hand function during the rehabilitation of hand injuries. HGS serves as a clinical predictor of complications after surgery. Purpose Establish HGS reference values in healthy adult Chilean population. Study design analytical cross-sectional. Method 311 healthy women and men, ages 18 to 65 years participated in the study. HGS was measured with a dynamometer, according to the American Society of Hand Therapists protocol. Additionally, anthropometric and labour characteristics were registered. Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. Significance was set at .05. Results Median HGS in women was 26 kg and 43 kg for men. Men demonstrated 3% more HGS on the dominant versus non-dominant hand. Women's median HGS was no different between dominant versus non-dominant hand. In men and women, manual labour activity was associated with a higher HGS. The relationships between subject anthropometric measurements and HGS were different in women versus men. Conclusions This study determined HGS in Chilean healthy adults. Results can be used as a reference standard for clinical measures related to illness, injury and rehabilitation.