Population-based reference values of handgrip strength and functional tests of muscle strength and balance in men aged 70-80 years

With aging, the incidence of falls and fractures increases. There has during the last decades been secular changes in demographics so that the proportion of elderly increases in society. Hence, there is an increasing need for clinicians to be able to make a solid appraisal of the elderly patient's functional capacity, as to identify individuals with an increased risk to fall. If high risk individuals could be targeted fall preventive strategies might be implemented in specific risk cohorts. This would require reference values for muscle strength tests and functional tests, in order to defined high risk individuals performing inferior. From the MrOS Sweden cohort, 999 subjects aged 70-80 years were evaluated. Muscle strength and functional performance was tested by timed-stands test, 6-m and 20-cm narrow walk tests and Jamar handgrip strength test. Normative data is presented. With increasing age, there was a 10-18% successively decline in performance throughout the entire age span. This study provides reference values for handgrip strength and functional muscle tests in 70-80 years old men. The decline in the test values with increasing age, infer the use of age-specific normative data when using these tests both in clinical and research settings. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved