What is Known About Muscle Strength Reference Values for Adults Measured by Hand-Held Dynamometry: A Scoping Review.
Marika Morin, Elise Duchesne, Jacinthe Bernier and 3 others
PMID 35282144WHAT IT FOUND
Hand-held dynamometry lacks valid reference values for adult limb strength.
Existing studies used inconsistent devices and protocols, and reported force instead of torque. Clinicians cannot currently compare patient scores against published norms to determine if strength is normal.
Key findings
01The literature lacks consensus on protocols, with 8 different dynamometer devices and varying measurement units used across the included studies.
02Reference values cannot be used in clinical practice because they are reported as force rather than torque, ignoring the lever arm length which affects the measurement.
03There are significant gaps in available data, with no reference values for wrist flexors in men and poor documentation for several other muscle groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The review did not assess the methodological quality or risk of bias of the included studies. The findings apply only to hand-held dynamometry and cannot be generalized to grip strength or isokinetic testing. The included studies were limited to those published in French or English and available in full text. All included studies used convenience samples, which may not represent the general population.
Declared interests
The provided text does not contain a specific declaration of funding sources or conflicts of interest for the authors of this review.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient's hand-held dynamometry score is abnormal because it falls below a published reference value. The review explicitly states that current literature reports force instead of torque, making these values invalid for clinical comparison due to unaccounted lever arm differences.