TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF ELECTRONIC HAND DYNAMOMETER IN HEALTHY ADULTS

Background: Physical Therapists frequently measure grip strength by using handdynamometer. The tests establish a baseline from which to assess improvement, compare the effectiveness of various surgical or treatment procedures, set realistic treatment goals, and assess a patient's ability to return to previous employment. Recently, researchers have come up with an instrument, Electronic Hand dynamometer, to measure maximal isometric grip strength. However the reliability of Camry electronic hand-held dynamometer has not been reported. Need of the study: The purpose of this study is to describe the test-retest reliability ofCamry electronic hand dynamometer for grip-strength measurement. Objectives: To estimate the reliability of grip strength measurements obtained with the electronic hand dynamometer in healthy adults. To compare the reliability of electronic hand dynamometer in various positions of both arms, i.e., flexed and extended elbow. Results: A total of 114 participants were included in this study from Mysore city. Theincluded samples were divided into six groups according to age with 19 samples in each group. ICC was found to be .95. The reliability of the electronic hand dynamometer for the right side with the elbow flexed was found to be 0.94 while for left side was found to be 0.91. Meanwhile, the reliability for the right side with elbow extended was found to be 0.98 and for the left side was 0.97. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that Camry electronic handdynamometer has excellent reliability to test grip strength. The reliability of the instrument was found to be the best when grip strength was measured in elbow extended position.