Hold on for a bit? Grip test can highlight wider health issues

7 Mar 2024
Three youing women and man in sports gears standing behind trestle table

Have you ever felt you were losing your grip?

Visitors to Winchester’s Sport and Leisure Park were able to find out last week when students from the University of Winchester ran a special grip strength testing service.

More than 50 willing participants tried their hand on the hand grip dynamometer. Each squeezed as hard as possible to register a score of force in kg.

Their data was then compared against age matched controls.  Anyone who scored a below-par score, about a quarter of them, were given advice about some simple exercises which could be done in the home to help improve grip.

Everyone who took part was told about importance of grip strength for general health.

It’s not widely known that grip strength is a very important indicator of overall

health, balance and mortality.

Graphic with tips about health on one side and man standing with his arms outstretched

The event was organised by students from Marketing and Physiotherapy.

In addition to spreading the grip strength message, the event helped promote Winchester Health Clinic, the University's community-facing physiotherapy clinic, where undergraduate students on the BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy degree program work alongside the Health and Care Professions Council-accredited (HCPC) clinic manager during placements as part of their studies.

Liam Newton, Clinic Manager, said: “Our grip strength event was a huge success was a huge success with more than 50 people engaging with the event. It was also a fantastic opportunity to increase the brand awareness of our clinic.

“The success of the event was due to the hard work put in by our marketing placement student Paulina Dziekonska, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, as well as the clinical input of our current physiotherapy students who were on hand to answer questions from the public.”

For more information about the clinic visit Winchester Health Clinic

Pictured top: Liam Newton with students at the pop-up grip-testing clinic

 

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