REFERENCE VALUES FOR EXTREMITY MUSCLE STRENGTH OBTAINED BY HAND-HELD DYNAMOMETRY FROM ADULTS AGED 20 TO 79 YEARS

Objective and Design: Only a few studies have provided reference value s for muscle strength obtained by hand-held dynamometry. Such values a re essential for establishing the degree to which an individual's stre ngth is impaired. This descriptive study was conducted to provide refe rence values for the strength of 10 extremity muscle actions. Subjects and Instrumentation: A convenience sample of 106 men and 125 women vo lunteers was tested twice with an Ametek digital hand-held dynamometer . Results: The measurements were found to be reliable. Predictive equa tions are provided for the measurements. Reference values generated ar e expressed in Newtons and as a percentage of body weight and are orga nized by gender, decade of age, and side. Conclusions: The values can be employed in a clinical setting to document whether an individual is impaired relative to healthy subjects of the same gender and age. (C) 1997 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the Amer ican Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation