Association between hand muscle thickness and whole-body skeletal muscle mass in healthy adults: a pilot study.
Akio Morimoto, Tadashi Suga, Nobuaki Tottori and 4 others
PMID 28932005WHAT IT FOUND
In thirty healthy young men, ultrasound thickness of hand muscles related to arm and leg muscle mass.
Interosseous thickness had the clearest relation. The study did not test whether this helps assess older or ill patients.
Key findings
01Interosseous hand muscle thickness was significantly correlated with whole-body and arm-leg muscle mass, and with their height-adjusted indices.
02Lumbrical hand muscle thickness was significantly correlated with arm-leg muscle mass and its height-adjusted index, but not with whole-body muscle mass index.
03Handgrip strength and forearm muscle thickness were significantly correlated with whole-body and arm-leg muscle mass, and with their height-adjusted indices.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was a pilot with thirty healthy young men, so it does not apply to women, older people, or patients with chronic disease. It showed correlations only, not that hand muscle thickness can diagnose sarcopenia or cachexia. The hand muscle thickness measures were not tested against clinical outcomes or compared with a diagnostic standard.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that ultrasound of hand muscles can diagnose sarcopenia or cachexia. The study was a pilot in thirty healthy young men and showed correlations only. It did not test diagnostic accuracy.