What is it about?
Hand strength is an important marker of health and daily function. We studied 500 healthy Singapore adults aged 21–80 to measure grip and pinch strength. Using a standard JAMAR device, we established reference values across age groups and tested which factors influence strength. We found that strength peaked in midlife, was higher in the dominant hand, and declined with age. Height, weight, and walking speed also played roles. Compared to Western data, Singapore values were lower. Our study also visually compares Singapore data against other Asian countries for both pinch and grip strength. These results provide useful benchmarks for doctors and researchers to track health and support upper limb rehabilitation.
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Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This work is important because it provides the first set of local reference values for grip and pinch strength across adulthood in Singapore. Hand strength is a simple but powerful marker of health, independence, and recovery, yet most benchmarks come from Western populations that may not reflect Asian contexts. Other local and Asian studies focus more on datasets for older adults. Ultimately, this study gives clinicians and researchers practical tools to detect weakness, track recovery, and design targeted interventions to support healthy ageing.
Perspectives
After 5 years of effort, the long and demanding process of data collection has finally come to an end. Reaching this milestone is a significant relief and marks the successful completion of our research. We are also proud to produce a seamless way to extract our normative values (https://ansidarta.shinyapps.io/shiny/).
Dr Ananda Sidarta
Nanyang Technological University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Establishing normative pinch and grip strengths across adult age groups in Singapore, BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation, April 2025, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/s13102-025-01140-3.
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