Weakness of grip strength reflects future locomotive syndrome and progression of locomotive risk stage: A 10-year longitudinal cohort study

Abstract

Objectives: Grip strength is a simple indicator of physical function. The goal of this retrospective study was to examine whether grip strength reflects locomotive syndrome and locomotive risk stage 10 years later.

Methods: The participants were 88 Japanese adults aged >40 years who attended a health check-up in 2006. Relationships of baseline grip strength with physical performance and locomotive risk stage after 10 years were assessed in males and females.

Results: The 88 subjects (31 males, 57 females; average age 61.6 in 2006) were followed for 10 years. Grip strength in 2006 had significant positive correlations with grip strength and back muscle strength, and negative correlations with 10 m-gait time and 3m Timed Up and Go (3m-TUG) test after 10 years (p < .05). Subjects with higher and lower grip strength in 2006 did not differ significantly in age, but had significant differences in physical performance, GLFS-25 (25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale) scores and locomotive risk stage after 10 years (p < .05). Same result was also obtained in the examination by gender.

Conclusion: Weak grip strength was significantly related to future physical status, and these findings were unaffected by age. Weak grip strength could be a risk factor for future locomotive syndrome and locomotive risk in community-dwelling people.

Keywords:

• Elderly people
• 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale
• grip strength
• locomotive syndrome
• prediction

Conflict of interest

None.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare Grants-in Aid for Scientific Research (C) (18K09102).