Introduction
Remote monitoring gives clinicians a way to follow rehabilitation beyond the clinic. Remote care becomes more useful when it includes measurable information rather than relying only on patient descriptions of how an exercise session felt. Grip strength provides one practical metric for tracking changes in hand and upper-extremity function. When collected consistently, objective grip strength data can help you understand progress, identify changes between appointments and make remote rehabilitation more structured.
In the US, this work connects to remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM), the CPT billing framework that allows therapists to be reimbursed for monitoring musculoskeletal status, therapy adherence and therapy response between visits. Whether or not monitoring is billed as RTM, its value depends on the quality of the data behind it, and objective grip strength measurements are one way to make that data meaningful.
Why Objective Grip Strength Data Matters
Objective measurements give you a clearer way to track changes in hand function over time.
Grip strength is a well-established clinical measure, used across a wide range of patient populations. The reliability of any reading, however, depends on the instrument and the protocol used to take it.
Squegg has been compared with the Jamar hydraulic dynamometer, the long-standing clinical reference, in three peer-reviewed studies. In healthy adults and older adults, these studies found good concurrent validity with the Jamar and good to excellent reliability (Stamate et al., 2023; Bairapareddy et al., 2023; Amin et al., 2024).
Research has also looked at measurement outside the clinic. In a 2026 study published in Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation, Francis et al. compared app-guided, self-administered assessments with supervised testing on Squegg and found that guidance modality accounted for less than 1% of within-subject variation in grip measurements.
In remote care, this type of measurement can add useful context to what you learn during virtual appointments. Instead of asking only whether a patient feels stronger, you can review measurable changes from repeated assessments.
This can help you:
- Track Change: Compare measurements across different points in a rehabilitation program and identify whether strength is increasing, decreasing or remaining stable.
- Support Clinical Decisions: Use changes in measured performance alongside symptoms, exercise performance and other clinical information when reviewing a patient's progress.
- Document Progress: Maintain a more consistent record of functional changes between in-person appointments.
- Guide Conversations: Discuss measurable changes with patients so they have a clearer understanding of their rehabilitation progress.
How Data Strengthens Remote Therapeutic Monitoring
Remote therapeutic monitoring is most valuable when clinicians can review meaningful information from a patient’s rehabilitation sessions between appointments.
For hand therapy, grip and pinch strength measurements can provide a practical way to track changes outside the clinic. When these measurements are collected consistently, they can give you a clearer view of how a patient is progressing and provide useful information to discuss during follow-up.
Key Benefits For Clinicians
Objective grip data can support several parts of the rehabilitation workflow when it is collected consistently.
More Consistent Progress Tracking
A patient may complete exercises several times between appointments. Without measurable data, much of that activity may be difficult to evaluate. Repeated grip assessments provide a numerical reference that can be compared over time.
For example, you may notice that a patient's affected hand is gradually approaching the strength of the unaffected hand. That trend can provide useful information when reviewing the overall rehabilitation plan.
Better Visibility Into At-Home Activity
Remote monitoring can make the period between appointments more visible.
Squegg's connected system captures grip and pinch force during at-home use, including peak force and endurance, and makes it available to clinicians through the clinician dashboard. Squegg PRO is designed to help clinicians monitor longitudinal changes, home exercise participation and patient activity remotely.
This does not replace clinical judgment. Instead, it gives you another source of information to consider alongside the patient's symptoms, functional abilities and treatment goals.
A More Measurable Patient Experience
Patients can sometimes find rehabilitation progress difficult to recognize, particularly when improvements happen gradually.
A digital hand grip strengthener can provide measurable feedback during training rather than leaving progress entirely to subjective impressions. When patients can see changes in their recorded performance, the data can give context to the work they are completing at home. For clinicians, that shared view of progress can support conversations about adherence to the home program.
Connected tools can also combine measurement with structured activities. Squegg, for example, provides grip and pinch assessment, tracking and interactive exercises through its connected app.
What Objective Data Can Show
Objective grip strength data is most useful when you look at trends rather than treating one measurement as the complete picture.
Consider reviewing:
- Strength Trends: Look at how grip performance changes across repeated assessments rather than focusing on a single reading.
- Left Aand Right Hand Differences: Comparing hands can provide additional context when monitoring unilateral changes.
- Peak Force and Endurance: Look beyond maximum grip. Endurance data shows how well a patient sustains force across an effort, which is difficult to capture remotely without a connected device.
- Exercise Participation: Review available activity and engagement information alongside strength measurements.
- Longitudinal Progress: Examine data over weeks or months to identify gradual changes that may not be obvious from individual appointments.
Squegg PRO is designed to support longitudinal grip and pinch strength monitoring in both clinical and remote settings.
Making Remote Monitoring Work
Objective data works best when it is collected as part of a clear clinical process.
You should establish consistent assessment procedures, explain how patients should use the device and interpret measurements within the broader clinical picture. This helps ensure that the information collected during remote rehabilitation remains useful for clinical review.
The goal is not to collect more numbers simply for the sake of having more data. The goal is to collect information that can help you understand the patient's response to therapy and support appropriate clinical follow-up.
Conclusion
Objective grip strength data can make remote monitoring more informative by adding measurable information to the rehabilitation process. Consistent measurements can help clinicians track changes, review progress between appointments and better understand what is happening during at-home rehabilitation.
For hand and upper-extremity therapy, connected grip and pinch assessment can provide a practical way to extend measurement beyond the clinic. Used alongside clinical judgment and other patient information, objective data can support a more structured approach to remote rehabilitation.
FAQs
1. What is objective grip strength data?
Objective grip strength data refers to measurable information collected during grip assessments rather than relying only on a patient's description of their strength. Repeated measurements can help clinicians observe changes over time.
2. How can grip strength data support remote monitoring?
It can give clinicians measurable information from a patient's at-home rehabilitation sessions. This may help with tracking progress, reviewing exercise participation and identifying changes that can be discussed during follow-up.
3. Can grip strength data replace an in-person assessment?
No. Remote measurements are an additional source of information and should be interpreted alongside clinical assessment, patient symptoms, functional performance and treatment goals.
4. Why is consistent measurement important in remote rehabilitation?
Using a consistent assessment approach makes measurements easier to compare over time. This can help clinicians identify trends rather than relying on isolated readings.
5. What role can connected grip assessment devices play in rehabilitation?
Connected devices can measure grip or pinch strength and transfer information through an associated app. Squegg and Squegg PRO are designed to support assessment, training and longitudinal monitoring in both clinical and remote settings.