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Hand grip strength as a clinical biomarker for ME/CFS, 2018, Nacul et al

Discussion in 'ME/CFS research' started by Suffolkres, Nov 11, 2018.

  1. It's M.E. Linda

    It's M.E. Linda Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    918
    For @adambeyoncelowe and @Trish

    Sit on an ordinary chair. Hold the meter in your dominant hand, but resting your hand and the meter on your leg, in a comfortable position.

    Count (in seconds):

    one, two, three, GRIP, two, three RELEASE.

    Note the reading.

    Pause and repeat twice more. Not a long wait between the three readings.

    Straight from a Biobank Test on Tuesday.
     
    Amw66, MEMarge, EzzieD and 6 others like this.
  2. adambeyoncelowe

    adambeyoncelowe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,731
    The wait between is 30 seconds. This is pretty much how I did it, although I wasn't sure how much of a right-angle I was able to get just by looking down. I don't trust my own coordination!

    ETA: I had my hand at my side, so I didn't rest it on my leg.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2019
    MEMarge, Trish and Andy like this.
  3. Inara

    Inara Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,734
    Isn't that "cheating"? I.e. I expect a better result than with the grip off the leg (because you will build up pressure against the leg). In my case I held the grip at my side - no place to put pressure on than the grip itself.
     
  4. It's M.E. Linda

    It's M.E. Linda Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    918
    @adambeyoncelowe wanted to know what position the arm should be in.

    For the Biobank tests, everything is done the same way and in the same order by whichever nurse is conducting the appointment.

    Presumably as some participants may be bed bound, perhaps this was the preferred option of how to conduct the hand grip test?
     
  5. Ebb Tide

    Ebb Tide Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    245
    Dr Betty Scott (who saw around 370 patients in the Finchley, North London outbreak between 1964 and 1966) later worked with Ramsay studying endemic cases.

    Ramsay writes about her clinical observation in his book 'Postviral Fatigue Syndrome: The saga of the Royal Free disease' on p.29, "she pointed out that, if both sides were affected, the muscle weakness was always greater in the muscles which the patient used most in daily activities; thus, in a right handed person, the muscles of the left arm and hand were stronger than those on the right."

    I've always been very strongly right hand dominant, but now have real difficulty opening lids with my right hand and do better with my left.
     
  6. feeb

    feeb Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    155
    Location:
    London, UK
    I've just been watching this video on Youtube that some of you may be interested in. The guy in the video is a physiotherapist and strength coach, and his channel is aimed at weightlifters and other athletes.

    He talks about grip strength, and mentions that it's normal for grip strength to decline when you're sick (with anything!), and says that reduced grip strength is an excellent early warning system for when you're over-extending yourself and need to dial back.

    He also demonstrates how to test your grip strength with an ordinary bathroom scale(!) instead of a hand grip dynamometer.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttVHGlApt3w


     
  7. Daisybell

    Daisybell Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,628
    Location:
    New Zealand
    Interesting to revisit this thread. My grip strength feels as though it has deteriorated significantly in recent weeks...
     

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