Clinical Measures of Handgrip Limitation Relate to Impaired Pinch Grip Force Control after Stroke

This study examined whether clinical measures of handgrip limitation relate to laboratory measures of grip force impairment during a pinch grip, lift, and hold task post-stroke. Handgrip ability in 45 people with stroke who had residual grip ability was examined relative to 45 age–matched healthy adults. The clinical tests included items from a) the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test; b) the Motor Assessment Scale; c) the Functional Independence Measure (FIM); and d) a custom-designed survey about hand-use in daily life. The laboratory test was summarized by principal components: 1) Pre-Lift Delay and 2) Grip Force Dyscontrol. For the stroke group, a moderate to strong correlation was found between Pre-Lift Delay and each clinical measure of handgrip limitation (rs = 0.70–0.85) except the FIM (rs = 0.38–0.49). In contrast, Grip Force Dyscontrol was not associated with handgrip limitation on any of the clinical tests (rs = −0.08 to 0.18).