Is Hand-Held Dynamometry Useful for the Measurement of Quadriceps Strength in Older People? A Comparison with the Gold Standard Biodex Dynamometry

Abstract

Our findings suggest that the HHD using a supine positioning offers a feasible, inexpensive, and portable test of quadriceps muscle strength for use in healthy older people. It underestimates the absolute quadriceps strength compared to the Biodex particularly in stronger people, but is a useful tool for ranking muscle strength of older people in epidemiological studies. It may also be of value for quick and objective assessment of physical function in the clinical setting.