Normative Hand Grip Strength Values in Swedish Male and Female Ice Hockey Players Across Competitive Levels

May 22, 2026 updated by: Daniel Muder, Dalarna County Council, Sweden

This study measures hand grip strength in male and female ice hockey players across different Swedish leagues to create reference (normative) values for adult players.

Hand grip strength is a simple test of how strongly a person can squeeze with their hand. Although it seems basic, it reflects overall upper-body strength and is widely used in both sports science and healthcare.

In this project, players from different levels of ice hockey (including professional men's and women's leagues, junior players, and recreational players if available) will have their grip strength measured using a standardized hand dynamometer. Measurements will be taken in a consistent way across all participating clubs.

The main goal is to build a reference database showing what "normal" grip strength looks like in ice hockey players depending on sex, league level, and playing position. This can help coaches, medical staff, and researchers better understand strength profiles in hockey athletes, support training and rehabilitation decisions, and provide benchmarks for future studies.

No treatment or intervention is given as part of the study.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, multi-league study designed to establish normative values for maximal isometric hand grip strength in adult Swedish ice hockey players.

Hand grip strength will be used as a standardized, low-cost proxy measure of upper-body muscular strength and general functional capacity. Although grip strength is widely used in clinical and sports science settings and has demonstrated good reliability when measured using standardized protocols, there is currently a lack of comprehensive normative data for adult ice hockey players. Existing literature is largely limited to youth cohorts or general athletic "combine"-type populations, with insufficient stratification for adult competitive ice hockey across sexes, league levels, and playing positions.

This study will include male and female players from multiple competitive levels in Swedish ice hockey, including professional leagues (SHL and SDHL), second-tier leagues (HockeyAllsvenskan and Women's Allsvenskan where feasible), junior elite levels (U18/U20), and potentially recreational adult players. Participants will be recruited through participating clubs during the pre-season or early competitive season period.

Grip strength will be measured using a standardized hand dynamometer according to a unified protocol aligned with established clinical measurement guidelines (including standardized positioning, device calibration, and repeated trials per hand). Both dominant and non-dominant hand grip strength will be recorded, and mean values will be used for analysis. To reduce inter-tester variability, participating sites will be instructed to follow a harmonized measurement protocol.

In addition to grip strength, basic demographic and anthropometric data will be collected, including age, sex, playing position (forward/defense), playing experience, height, and body mass. Where available, supplementary body composition data from club testing routines may also be included to allow exploratory analyses of strength relative to body size.

The primary purpose of the study is descriptive: to generate normative reference values (including percentiles) for grip strength in adult ice hockey players, stratified by sex, league level, and playing position. Secondary analyses will explore associations between grip strength and anthropometric and demographic variables.

This study does not include any intervention or experimental treatment. All measurements are non-invasive and performed during routine testing environments within clubs. The results are intended to support strength and conditioning practice, clinical assessment in sports medicine, and future research on performance, injury risk, and rehabilitation in ice hockey.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

800

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult male and female ice hockey players recruited from Swedish ice hockey clubs across multiple competitive levels, including professional (SHL and SDHL), second-tier (HockeyAllsvenskan and Women's Allsvenskan where available), junior elite (U18/U20), and selected recreational teams. Participants are drawn from active club rosters during the pre-season or early competitive season period. Recruitment is conducted in collaboration with participating clubs and their medical or strength and conditioning staff. The population represents a broad sample of Swedish ice hockey players across sex, age, and competitive level.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult male or female ice hockey players.
  • Registered and actively participating in a Swedish ice hockey club during the current season.
  • Participation in one of the included competitive levels: professional, semi-professional, junior elite, or recreational leagues in Sweden.
  • Able to perform maximal hand grip strength testing. Provides written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current acute injury of the upper extremity (hand, wrist, forearm, or elbow) that prevents safe or valid grip strength testing.
  • Any medical condition that contraindicates maximal effort testing, as determined by team medical staff or study personnel.
  • Refusal or inability to provide informed consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Ice Hockey Players
Adult male and female ice hockey players from multiple competitive levels in Sweden, including professional, semi-professional, junior elite, and recreational players. Participants undergo a single standardized measurement of hand grip strength.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maximal Hand Grip Strength
Time Frame: Baseline.
Maximal isometric hand grip strength measured in kilograms using a standardized hand dynamometer in adult male and female ice hockey players. Measurements will be performed for both dominant and non-dominant hands using a standardized protocol, and mean maximal value will be used for analysis.
Baseline.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Anthropometric Characteristics
Time Frame: Baseline.
Height (cm), body mass (kg), and body composition (if available) of adult male and female ice hockey players.
Baseline.
Demographic and Playing Characteristics
Time Frame: Baseline.
Age, sex, playing position (forward/defense), league level, dominant hand, and years of playing experience in ice hockey.
Baseline.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Dalarna County Council, Sweden

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Daniel Muder, MD, PhD, Centre for Clinical Research Dalarna, Uppsala University, Sweden

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 22, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2026-02210-01B

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Any data shared with colleagues or collaborating researchers will be fully anonymized or pseudonymized to protect participant privacy in accordance with GDPR regulations. Data transfers will occur under strict confidentiality agreements, and all parties will adhere to applicable data protection laws to ensure the security and privacy of personal information. We will act in accordance with the ethical approval granted by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (EPM) and comply with all relevant local policies regarding data protection.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

From the publication of the protocol and for 10 years thereafter.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Access to individual participant data is typically restricted to authorized researchers involved in the study or approved collaborators under strict confidentiality and data protection agreements.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Grip Strength

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Benin

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe