Simple hand-grip test can indicate decline in Parkinson's disease patients
Approximately 1 million people in the US are living with Parkinson's, and 60,000 cases are diagnosed each year
Approximately 1 million people in the US are living with Parkinson's, and 60,000 cases are diagnosed each year
A simple hand-grip test may be a reliable way to monitor possible declines in people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. researchers Jenn Jakobi and Gareth Jones just completed a study that looked at ways to monitor the how the degenerative disease progressed in patients.
“It became very clear that the hand-grip test was one of the functional tests that proved to be a reliable and valuable test measure,” Jakobi, Health and Exercise Sciences professor at the university's Okanagan campus, said in a press release. “The hand-grip test is an easy and conclusive way to test muscle strength decline in this group of people.”
The research looked at 23 men and women over 50 with Parkinson's and compared them to 14 people without the disease. The subjects wore portable devices to record muscle activity in their arms and legs for eight hours. Twice a day, they took three tests that measured physical functions - gait, balance and hand-grip.
“It seems these devices have come full circle and are back being used by clinicians,” Jakobi said. “It’s a tool that is ideal for Parkinson’s patients as you can easily record a decline in an individual’s physical strength and function as the disease progresses.”
Symptoms of Parkinson's disease include difficulty walking, shaking and slow movement. Some patients experience dementia, depression and sleep problems as the disorder advances.
Approximately 1 million people in the US are living with Parkinson's, and 60,000 cases are diagnosed each year, according to the . More than 10 million people worldwide have the disorder.