Abstract

Objective: To characterize hand grip strength performance of the dominant hand and the non-dominant hand in men and women between 20 and 69 years of age from Valdivia, Chile. Methods: Through a stratified non-probabilistic sampling by convenience, 401 healthy subjects were recruited and stratified in quinquennial age groups. Hand grip strength in the dominant hand and non-dominant hand was measured using the protocol established by the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT). Results were stratified and compared by age, sex, and hand dominancy. Results: 401 subjects (203 women) completed the study, of whom ∼94% had right dominance. Overall, the dominant hand of the men and women exhibited better hand grip performance in every quinquennial age group (p < .05), and the difference between the dominant hand and the non-dominant hand in the men and women was similar (∼4%). Peak performance in the dominant hand was seen in the men aged between 25-29 (46.2 ± 6.6 kg) years while in the women it was between 40-44 years of age (29.7 ± 3.7 kg), whereas in the non-dominant hand peak performance was between the ages 50-54 in the men (43.2 ± 6.3 kg) and between 40-44 in the women (28.2 ± 4.1 kg). Conclusions: As expected, grip strength was higher in men in every quinquennial group, nevertheless, changes in performance with age were different between the men and the women, therefore these differences should be taken into account when this tool is used to assess upper limb function in a healthy population.