Validation of a Practical Forearm Supination Strength Measurement Technique in the Large Sample Cohort

Introduction The strength of forearm in pronation and supination (P/S) is an important clinical assessment during pre- operative examination as well as in post-operative evaluation. Many clinical trials concerning the measurement of forearm P/S strength were performed using a dynamometer xed on the wall. The aim of this study was to bring out a simple and reliable technique for the measurement of P/S strength using a dynamometer manually supported and stabilized by an exam- iner. We hypothesized that there are no di erences in evaluation of elbow P/S strength using the dynamometer xed or the dynamometer stabilized by an operator in healthy people.Methods The study was performed on a cross-sectional cohort of 100 healthy subjects without any history of injuries or previous surgery of the upper limbs. Isometric forearm P/S strengths were measured on the dominant and non-dominant forearms, using the dynamometer xed on a table, and using the same dynamometer kept by an operator. The measurements were repeated in triplicate at 45°, 90° and 120° of elbow exion in both upper limbs for all patients.Results A total of 100 subjects (50 females, 50 males) were included in the study group. The mean age was 46.5 years (range 25–52 years). Female and male subjects showed no signi cant di erences concerning the mean age (F/M ratio 0.50/0.50). The mean body mass index of all participants was 24.34 ± 3.66 kg/m2.No signi cant statistics di erence was reported between the P/S strength measured using the two detection methods in our study group (45°, 90° and 120° of elbow exion and both upper limbs).Conclusion The manually stabilized technique is a valid and reliable technique to assess the P/S strength of the forearm. This is a simple and e ective method that may be reproduced in our daily clinical practice as well as in sportive practice.