Hand Grip Strength in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Females

Hand Grip Strength (HGS) is a predictor of upper extremity function, and changes in muscles strength and physical function and capabilities to undertake activities of daily living. Despite toll of pregnancy on musculoskeletal system, assessment of HGS in antenatal care is not a routine practice yet.

The current study aimed to compare HGS in pregnant and non-pregnant females and also investigated the correlation of HGS among the groups.

The current case control study included 174 females (87 pregnant and age-matched non-pregnant controls respectively). HGS was assessed using a hand held Jamar dynamometer. Body adiposity was assessed by a Bioelectric Impedance Analysis machine. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics at P < 0.05.

The results showed that the pregnant and non-pregnant subjects could be compared regarding the age (29.7 ± 5.3 vs. 28.2 ± 5.8 years; P = 0.440). There was significant difference in dominant HGS (26.8 ± 8.9 vs. 29.3 ± 7.1 kgf; P = 0.044) and non-dominant HGS (24.7 ± 8.5 vs. 28.6 ± 8.4 kgf; P = 0.002) between pregnant and non-pregnant subjects, respectively. Physical characteristics weakly correlated with HGS for both dominant and non-dominant hands [correlation (r) ranges from 0.00 - 0.250]. Measures of adiposity significantly correlated with HGS in pregnant and non-pregnant females, respectively (P < 0.05). However, there were significant increases in the measures of adiposity with high parity, gravidity, and advances in stage of pregnancy (P < 0.05).

The current study revealed that pregnant females had significantly lower HGS compared with non-pregnant ones. High parity and gravidity and later stage of pregnancy led to significantly lower HGS. Higher level of adiposity led to poorer performance of HGS in females. It is recommended to evaluate HGS in antenatal care, which may have diagnostic and prognostic benefits.