Impact of exercise frequency on hand strength of the elderly

Purpose: To determine if an every other day exercise program achieves comparable results to an everyday program, and to compare participants' adherence to each program. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Thirty-six independent living individuals age 55 and older were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group A performed grip and pinch therapy putty exercises daily. Group B performed the same exercises every other day. Participants were also assessed for program adherence. Results: There was no significant difference (p = 0.05) in grip strength change scores between the low- and high-frequency groups over the 8-week training period. Six out of eight pinch strength change scores indicated no significant difference between groups. Adherence data were better for the low-frequency group. Conclusion: For the most part, results indicated no significant difference between the hand-strengthening protocols when measuring hand strength over an 8-week period. Level of Evidence: 1b.