Minimal clinically important difference for grip strength: a systematic review

[Purpose] The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in grip strength is critical to interpreting changes in hand strength over time. This review was undertaken to summarize extant descriptions of the MCID for grip strength. [Methods] A search of 3 bibliographic databases as well as a hand search were completed to identify articles reporting the MCID for grip forces obtained by dynamometry. [Results] Of 38 unique articles identified as potentially relevant, 4 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria of this review. The MCIDs ranged from 0.04 kg to 6.5 kg. However, only a single study used receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and had an associated area under the curve exceeding 0.70. That study reported an MCID of 6.5 kg, which was similar to the MCIDs of another included study and minimal detectable changes reported elsewhere. [Conclusion] Additional, more rigorous, studies are needed to identify MCIDs for grip strength. In the meantime changes of 5.0 to 6.5 kg may be reasonable estimates of meaningful changes in grip strength.