Grip strength and healthy aging

Abstract

Grip strength is a well-known indicator of muscle strength. The trajectories of grip strength with increasing age refer to the aging and development process of muscle strength over one’s life span. The levels of muscle strength needed to perform activities of daily living or to prevent older people from developing disabilities are serious geriatric issues. Grip strength has been shown to decline with aging and to be a predictor of the development of geriatric problems, which suggests the lifelong management of grip strength has great potential for the promotion of healthy aging. The focus of this short review was to examine grip strength as an indicator of geriatric issues and to clarify the role of grip strength in relation to healthy aging.

Keywords

• grip strength
• aging
• life course
• community-dwelling individuals