
Why is Grip Strength Important?
While grip strength is typically associated with having a strong handshake (which we don’t seem to need following the introduction of the elbow bump during 2020), science has shown grip strength to be what’s called a biomarker.1 By definition, a biomarker is a broad term which indicates an “objective indication of (a) medical state, observed outside of the patient.”2 Basically, it’s an indicator of some health condition or state of one’s health that isn’t necessarily something the patient is aware of. For example, when one goes to the doctor, they typically explain their symptoms. The symptoms are what a patient is feeling and aware of. When the doctor does lab work, the doctor may discover some biomarkers, in the form of a high white blood cell count, for example, which indicates a certain illness. The biomarker is the indicator that something is going on or expected to occur. According to