Abstract
The grip strength is a good index of health. It is well known, however, that the same person does not usually give the same values in consecutive measurements. The purpose of this study is to examine various factors which may influence the grip strength. Our findings are: 1) The grip strength showed its maximal value, when the grip width was in the range of ± 5mm around the standard width at which the second joint of the forefinger was bent at a right angle. 2) The level of experience (expressed as the total number of grip trials) did not reduce the dispersion of the measured values, but it increased the average value with one of the two subjects. 3) The grip strength approximately reached its maximal value about ten o'clock and kept a stable value until seventeen o'clock. Outside this time zone, it showed smaller or unstable values. 4) The grip width of the dynamometer used in this study becomes smaller as the force is applied. As long as the condition 1) was maintained, however, it did not give any significant influence on the measured value.
