The 10 second Grip and Release Test
Purpose
The 10 second grip and release test was described as one of 2 tests for cervical myelopathy after observations from individuals with "myelopathy hand". [1] It was observed that individuals with cervical myelopathy had complaints of clumsiness in their hands. These individuals show difficulty with extending the ulnar 2 to 3 fingers with normal function in their wrist, thumb and index finger.
Technique
How to perform the test:
- Have the person sitting comfortability
- Have their hands in front
- Ask them to grip and release their fingers as quickly as possible
- Count the number of repetitions in a 10 second period of time
Watch for exaggerated wrist flexion with finger extension and exaggerated wrist extension with finger flexion. Normal is considered more than 20 times in a 10 second period.
Further research has found norms for age: [2]
- Up to the 40's, 20 repetitions
- 50's, 19 repetitions
- 60's, 17 repetitions
- 70's, 16 repetitions
Evidence
Visual observation of the hand movement for completing this test has been found to have a sensitivity of 79.4% and specificity of 86.4%. Using a camera and learning machine, this greatly increased the sensitivity to 90.9% and specificity to 88.2%. [3]
References
- ↑ Ono, K., Ebara, S., Fuji, T. A. K. E. S. H. I., Yonenobu, K. A. Z. U. O., Fujiwara, K. E. I. J. U., & Yamashita, K. (1987). Myelopathy hand. New clinical signs of cervical cord damage. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume, 69(2), 215-219.
- ↑ Machino M, Ando K, Kobayashi K, et al. Cut off value in each gender and decade of 10-s grip and release and 10-s step test: a comparative study between 454 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and 818 healthy subjects. Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2019; 184: 105414. PMID: 31306894.
- ↑ Ibara, T., Matsui, R., Koyama, T., Yamada, E., Yamamoto, A., Tsukamoto, K., ... & Fujita, K. (2023). Screening for degenerative cervical myelopathy with the 10-second grip-and-release test using a smartphone and machine learning: A pilot study. Digital Health, 9, 20552076231179030.