Archives of Medical Research 36 (2005) 603–606 BRIEF REPORT Relationship between Grip Strength and Hand Bone Mineral Density in Healthy Adults Arzu Kaya, Salih Ozgocmen, Ozge Ardicoglu, Ayhan Kamanli and Huseyin Gudul Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Firat University, Faculty of Medicine, Elazig, Turkey Received for publication October 19, 2004; accepted February 18, 2005 (D-04-00119). The aim of this study was to assess site-specific relationship of hand bone mineral density (BMD) with hand size, pinch and grip strength in healthy people aged 19–50 years. A total of 143 healthy volunteers participated in the study (mean age: 34 years). One hundred- six were premenopausal women (mean age: 34 years) and 37 were men (mean age: 34 years). Grip and pinch strength was measured by a Jamar dynamometer (Jamar, Irvington, NY). Second, third and fourth middle phalanx BMD were measured on a MetriScan densitometer (Hayward, CA) and mean value of these three phalanxes were used in the analysis. There was not a significant correlation between hand BMD and grip, pinch strength or hand size in premenopausal women. A significant correlation between hand BMD and grip strength was found in men (right hand; r = 0.44, p = 0.007, left hand; r = 0.33, p = 0.05). Hand size was not correlated with hand BMD both in men and in women. The short-term precision for RA was estimated as 0.44%. This is the first report of a site-specific relationship of BMD measured by radiographic absorptiometry with hand size, pinch and grip strength in healthy men and premenopausal women. Our results revealed that there is a moderate correlation between hand-grip strength and hand BMD in men. Hand size does not predict hand BMD both in men and women. Radiographic absorptiometry is a practical and reproducible method to detect bone mineral density of hands and may be a valuable screening tool for osteoporosis.  2005 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. Key Words: Bone mineral density, Radiographic absorptiometry, Pinch strength, Grip strength, Hand size, gender. Introduction One of the important issues of muscle strengthening exer- cises in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis is the ability to investigate the relationship between muscle strength and bone mineral density (BMD) (1). It is also well known that there is a relationship between muscle strength and bone mass, but it is still uncertain whether this is site specific. Studies have shown a significant correlation between muscle strength and BMD in functionally and ana- tomically related areas (2–7). Most of the previous literature on muscle strength and bone density examined the association between specific Address reprint requests to: Dr. Arzu Kaya, Firat Universitesi, Firat Tip Merkezi Fiziksel Tip ve Rehabilitasyon, AD 23119, Elazig, Turkey. Phone: (+00) 90 424 2333555 (ext.1612); Phone and FAX: (+00) 90 424 248 0509; E-mail: drarzukaya@yahoo.com 0188-4409/05 $–see front matter. Copyright  2005 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2005.03.026 muscle groups and adjacent bones. The association of grip strength with bone density at distant sites, such as the spine and hip, as well as at the wrist and radius has been examined using different methods (3–6). Bevier et al. (7) and Sinaki et al. (4) also found a positive correlation between the bone mineral content of the mid-radius and grip strength. Radiographic absorptiometry (RA) is a reliable method and continues to develop with innovations in software and equipment. The aim of this study was to assess the site-specific rela- tionship of hand BMD with hand size, pinch and grip strength in healthy people aged 19–50 years. Materials and Methods One hundred forty-three healthy volunteers participated in the study (mean age: 34 years). One hundred six were pre- menopausal women (mean age: 34 years) and 37 were men