Test-retest reliability of handgrip muscle function among Australian rules football athletes

Background/objective: Advancements in handgrip dynamometry provide unique opportunities to measure multiple aspects of handgrip muscle function. The aim of this study was to quantify the test-retest reliability of handgrip muscle function among athletes using digital handgrip dynamometry. Methods: Eighty-five Australian football athletes (aged 18-36 years) competing in men's and women's national and state league competitions were included. Handgrip muscle function (i.e., handgrip strength [HGS], handgrip rate of force development [RFD]) was assessed using digital handgrip dynamometry. Reliability was quantified as the systematic error (using the difference in means), random error (using the typical error), and test-retest correlations (using the intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]). Results: [95% CI]: 0.84 [0.76, 0.89]). Conclusions: Digital handgrip dynamometry may be used to measure HGS and handgrip RFD with very high to nearly perfect reliability. Practitioners could consider using digital handgrip dynamometry to assess athletes, with greater confidence for profiling or monitoring changes in HGS compared with handgrip RFD.