Grip Strength as a Vital Sign

However you’re thinking about grip strength, I’m betting it isn’t broad enough.

Grip strength is NOT just about hand strength. 
It is NOT just an indicator of upper body strength. 
It is NOT even just about overall strength. 

Grip strength is associated with:

• mortality

• psychological health

• functional disabilities

• hospitalization

• and more!

The article we are reviewing today urges us to consider grip strength as a vital sign, because this simple measurement is actually an indicator of overall well-being. And, I believe it is a metric every therapist should be paying attention to with virtually every patient.

After we review this article, we will welcome to the podcast Gabriella Francis, OTR/L, ATC. Gabby is the CEO of Squegg, a grip strength health tech company. Through this role, she has been immersed in the science of grip strength—and we are excited to chat with her about the practical implications of this new science for occupational therapy professionals and for our healthcare system at large.

1. You will recognize the associations between grip strength and occupational health.

2. You will be able to identify important nuances to accurately assessing grip strength.

• Intro

• Breakdown and analysis of journal article

• Discussion on practical implications for OTs

  1. Can you tell me how you became the CEO of a health tech company?

  2. Can you tell me the basics of Squegg and your role?

  3. What did you think of this paper?

  4. Do you know any stories of MDs that track grip strength as a vital sign, and refer to therapy based on it?

  5. What do you see as the value of tracking grip strength for ALL OT patients?

  6. What considerations do you weigh when it comes to procedures for testing?

  7. What considerations do you weigh when comparing to our current normative data?

  8. What have you learned about improving grip strength?

  9. What do you see on the horizon for grip strength?

Primary

• Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital sign of health: A narrative review of evidences

Additional

• Predictive ability of hand-grip strength and muscle mass on functional prognosis in patients rehabilitating from stroke

• Measurement Properties of the Hand Grip Strength Assessment: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis

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OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Gabriella Francis is CEO of Squegg, which makes a grip strength measurement device.