Assessment of hand-grip and key-pinch strength at three arm positions among healthy college students: Dominant versus non-dominant hand

Objective: Grip strength is important for independent self-care and is a predictor of functional decline. This study aimed to determine if healthy individuals would demonstrate different hand-grip and key-pinch strengths at three different arm positions and in comparisons between dominant and non-dominant hands. Methods: A total of 61 right-hand-dominant male college students aged 19-23 years were consecutively recruited from the College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences. Three researchers performed the measurements. All tests were performed with the JAMAR (R) hand-grip dynamometer handle set in its second position. Participants were instructed to squeeze the handle of the handgrip dynamometer in the 90 degrees elbow flexion, 90 degrees shoulder flexion, and arm dangled positions. For assessment of key-pinch strength, every participant had to squeeze the thumb pad against the lateral aspect of the middle phalanx of the index finger. Key-pinch strength was measured in the same positions used for assessment of hand-grip strength. Participants were blinded for the outcome measurements. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: The hand-grip and key-pinch strengths did not show significant effects. Comparison of right and left hand-grip strengths also showed insignificant differences. However, the key-pinch strength showed a significant increase in favour of the dominant hand. Conclusions: Clinicians can choose any upper-extremity position to measure hand-grip and key-pinch strength. Furthermore, clinicians should aim to maintain and restore almost equal scores for hand-grip and pinch strength of the dominant and non-dominant hands to ensure better hand function.