The muscle groups in your forearm involve many extensor and flexor muscles. These two groups work together to provide grip strength, which is essential to performing everyday tasks and many sporting activities. The most common way to measure grip strength is with a handheld dynamometer. A dynamometer is a spring-loaded squeeze device that measures force and assesses muscle group strength.
Objective and Resources
The main objective of a dynamometer grip strength test is to prevent injury. The test can also be used to monitor the development of grip strength. Before beginning the assessment, you need a handgrip dynamometer and an assistant to help with the test and record results.
Procedure
The person being assessed uses his dominant hand and applies as much grip pressure as possible on the dynamometer by squeezing the handle together. The maximum reading is recorded by the assistant. The test is repeated three times using the same hand. The highest recorded value is used to assess the grip strength. The test is then repeated for the opposite hand.
Scoring
The highest recorded values for each hand are averaged together to get the total score. This score is then compared on a scale to determine your rating. The ratings are excellent, very good, above average, average, below average, poor and very poor. The specific numbers vary based on the rating scale you use, your age and gender.
Reliability
To ensure reliability of the handgrip strength test, you may need to calibrate the dynamometer often to have consistent results. It is also important to maintain consistent technique and get adequate rest for optimal results. This is a simple test and the most common procedure to measure grip strength, however, the dynamometer must be adjusted for hand size to get accurate measurements.
