Handgrip Muscle Strength – Its Association with Blood Pressure in Healthy Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Blood pressure, an important physiological parameter, indicates a health hazard when its level increases beyond the standard reference level. Various exercise modules are prescribed for the prevention and treatment of hypertension, but questions have been raised on the beneficial effect of isometric weight training exercises on blood pressure. An important biomarker to assess muscle fitness is handgrip muscle strength. The association of handgrip muscle strength with different physiological parameters and diseases has already been established. However, the consistent result on the relationship between handgrip muscle strength and blood pressure is not available. Aim and Objective: The aim of the study is to find the relationship between handgrip muscle strength and endurance with blood pressure, if any, in healthy young individuals. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, muscle strength and endurance were measured using a handgrip dynamometer, and blood pressure was measured using a sphygmomanometer following the standard procedures. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the mean. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the association. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In this study, 80 volunteers participated. We found a positive correlation between muscle strength with systolic blood pressure and a negative correlation with diastolic blood pressure. We had not found any correlation between muscle endurance with any component of blood pressure. Conclusion: It can be concluded from this study that with the increase in muscle strength, there is an increase in systolic blood pressure. Hence, exercises must be prescribed with caution.