Grip strength and performance evaluation
Handgrip strength was measured with Jamar dynamometer (Baseline
Hydraulic Hand dynamometer Irvington, NY, USA), which was used at the
second handle position. The subjects were instructed to be in sitting
position as their shoulders were adducted and neutrally rotated, elbows
were flexed at 90°, and the forearms/wrists were kept in neutral
position. For performance evaluations; chair stand test (CST) was
performed while subjects were asked to stand up and sit down from a
chair without arm rest for five times, with their arms crossed over
their chests.6 For gait speed measurements, subjects
were asked to walk at their usual pace over a 6-meter course. The
participants were informed to stand with both feet touching the starting
line and to start walking after the command. Time duration (between
beginning and ending) was measured by a chronometer and transformed into
meter/second. Three measurements for all the performance tests were
obtained and the mean values were taken into analyses.