Measuring hand grip strength in rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease with a particular predilection for causing pain, deformity and functional limitation affecting the hands. Measures of the severity of RA, such as the disease activity score with 28 joint count may not fully reflect the regional impact of RA on the hands. Hand grip strength measurements are a form of objective assessment that focuses specifically on the hands in RA. This review explores what is currently known about the assessment of hand grip strength; what it may indicate, how it is measured, some of the practical aspects and challenges associated with performing these tests, and how this information can be applied in a clinical setting. It summarises the role that grip strength has in assessing patients with RA and finishes with some recommendations for how to use grip strength measurements in clinical practice, and what direction future research might take.
['Higgins|Susie C|SC|http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0104-3267', 'Adams|Jo|J|http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1765-7060', 'Hughes|Rodney|R|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6879-0761']
D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid D006225:Hand D018737:Hand Strength D006801:Humans D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer D010808:Physical Examination D011237:Predictive Value of Tests D011379:Prognosis D012720:Severity of Illness Index
Rheumatoid arthritis Clinical protocols Disease progression Equipment design Hand strength Monitoring Physical examination Physiological Rehabilitation