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MeSH TERMS
* hand strength
* muscle strength dynamometer
* pinch strength
* reproducibility of results
OBJECTIVE. This study sought to determine interinstrument reliability of the Jamar electronic dynamometer and pinch gauge compared with the commonly used Jamar hydraulic dynamometer and B&L Engineering mechanical pinch gauge.
METHOD. Twenty men and 20 women were tested for grip strength with the two different dynamometers, and 17 men and 25 women were tested for lateral pinch strength with the two different pinch gauges.
RESULTS. Grip strength measurements were approximately 10% higher with the hydraulic dynamometer, and lateral pinch strength measurements were approximately 18% higher with the mechanical pinch gauge. Palred f tests and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used for statistical analyses. The two-tailed ? value was <.0001, and the ICC indicated poor to moderate reliability.
CONCLUSION. When retestlng patients, It is recommended that occupational therapists use the same instrument to measure hand strength because Interinstrument reliability may be lacking.
Occupational therapists measure grip and pinch strength for a variety of reasons, including assessing impairment, measuring treatment efficacy, comparing with norms, and determining work capacity and de- mands. Interinstrument reliability is the ex- tent to which different instruments measure equivalently under the same conditions. Because many different types of instruments have been developed for measuring grip and pinch strength, it has become important to establish interinstrument reliability of the various instruments.
Interinstrument Reliability Studies
Dynamometers
To determine whether measurements re- corded by different dynamometers can be compared on an equitable basis within the clinic and whether readings from one dyna- mometer can be appropriately compared with norms established by a different dynamom- eter, many researchers have completed stud- ies to determine interinstrument reliability among variously manufactured grip strength dynamometers. Flood-Joy and Mathiowetz (1987) compared three slightly different ver- sions of the hydraulic Jamar dynamometer (Lafayette Instrument Company, Lafayette, IN) and found statistically significant differ- ences in the measured grip strength of study participants using a repeated measures design. This study demonstrated lack of interinstru- ment reliability among dynamometer models manufactured by the same company. In studies comparing the Jamar with dynamometers manufactured by other companies, the Base- line (Fabrication Enterprises Inc., White Plains, NY) and Rolyan (Patterson Medical Supply Inc., Bolingbrook, IL) hydraulic dy- namometers and the...