Correlation between hand grip strength and functional mobility in elderly patients

Aging is a normal process that can be indicated by muscle mass reduction or sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is problematic, since it is correlated with a higher risk of falls. Therefore, early measurement of physical performance in the elderly is necessary. Hand grip strength can be measured to assess hand muscle strength, while the timed up-and-go test (TUGT) is used to assess functional mobility. However, the correlation of both variables has not been clearly explained. We measured average hand grip strength and functional mobility in elderly patients and found a significantly meaningful moderate correlation between them (P = 0.000. r = -0.568). Average mean hand grip strength was 19.1 ± 7.00 kg and average median functional mobility was 12.8 (5.9-30.9) seconds.