It’s amazing what grip strength says about your health. In this article, we explore several grip strength insights related to oncology.
Grip strength is a valuable metric for assessing cancer-related health changes, reflecting overall muscle strength impacted by the disease and its treatments.
Muscle wasting, fatigue, and reduced physical activity lead to decreased grip strength, making it a critical indicator of a patient’s physical status and the effectiveness of ongoing treatment.
For cancer treatment platforms, incorporating grip strength measurement is essential for understanding patient outcomes, and overlooking this metric may have detrimental consequences.
This document explains how grip strength can be used in clinical practice to assess risk, progression and prognosis in patients with cancer.
There are many health benefits to measuring grip strength. Read on to find out – why does grip strength matter in oncology?
“Grip strength is a key indicator of health; it’s a proxy for your overall strength and physical function.”
‘Outlive’ by Peter Attia MD; Longevity Expert
Grip Strength and Cancer Development
For patients aged between 40-69, each 7.7 lbs* drop in grip strength increases the risk of developing any type of cancer by 10% in women and 6% in men. [Celis-Morales et al., 2018]
Grip Strength: Mortality and Cancer Prognosis Predictions
Women aged between 40-69 with grip strength below 24.3 lbs* face a 61% higher risk of breast cancer mortality. [Celis-Morales et al., 2018]
Also, regarding grip strength and life expectancy, advanced cancer patients with a grip strength weaker than the 10th percentile (90% weaker than their peers) are 3.2 times higher risk of shorter survival and a 9.5 times greater chance of severe muscle weakness. [Kilgour et al., 2013] e.g:
*Note that all cut off points have been converted to GripAble-equivalent measurements for consistency
Clinical Application
Measure grip strength during routine check-ups to assess risk factors and track trends over time. For high-risk patients, consider providing a hand dynamometer for regular, at-home monitoring. Pay attention when grip strength drops below cut-off points or decreases by more than a quartile.
Patient Empowerment
Give patients access to their grip strength scores - a clear, tangible measure they can easily understand and actively improve with guidance. Unlike blood pressure, grip strength is relatable and empowering, enabling patients to track their progress as a key indicator of their independence.
Practical Considerations
Reduce Utilization: identify disease early and understand patient prognosis
Improve Patient Satisfaction: where appropriate, give patients a quick, non-invasive tool to monitor disease status and response to treatment at home
Support Risk Adjustment: quantify disease and treatment impact by using grip strength results as an objective measure of muscle loss
For further reading, dive into our extensive collection of studies on using a hand dynamometer, grip strength and more here including:
Contribute: Partner with us in research or patient case studies to advance the knowledge of grip strength as a biomarker.
Understand: Get the essentials on hand dynamometry and how to integrate grip strength into your practice with our comprehensive guide.
Get in touch:
Website: www.able-care.co Email: hello@able-care.co
Able Care has signed the American Physical Therapy Association Digital Transparency pledge, illustrating our commitment to the fact that digital "physical therapy" services are only performed or directed by licensed physical therapists in accordance with all regulations and APTA’s Standards of Practice for Physical Therapy.
Support
+1 406 318 9624
Quick links
