Reliability of the Bulb Dynamometer for Assessing Grip Strength

Background: Hand function is an overall indicator of health and is often measured using grip strength. Hand-held dynamometry is the most common method of measuring grip strength. The purpose of this study was to determine the inter-rater and test-retest reliability, the reliability of one trial versus three trials, and the preliminary norms for a young adult population using the Baseline® Pneumatic Squeeze Bulb Dynamometer (30 psi). Methods: This study used a one-group methodological design. One hundred and three healthy adults (30 males and 73 females) were recruited. Six measurements were collected for each hand per participant. The data was analyzed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) two-way effects model (2,2) and paired-samples t-tests. Results: The ICC for inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.955 to 0.977. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the bulb dynamometer is a reliable tool to measure grip strength and should be further explored for reliable and valid use in diverse populations and as an alternative to the Jamar dynamometer