The Surprising Link Between Grip, Movement and Longevity
Written by Tamsin Ward, Founder of Drums4Health
Drums4Health exists to move the body and wake up the brain through rhythm-based movement that supports physical wellbeing, brain health and community connection.
What if one of the clues to how well we are ageing is sitting quite literally in our hands? Handgrip strength is increasingly recognised in research as a simple marker associated with overall physical function, healthy ageing and mortality risk. It is also an area that has made me look at Drums4Health, the rhythm and movement programme I founded, through an entirely new lens.
Because when we drum, we aren't only making music. Our hands, wrists, arms, brains and bodies are working together repeatedly. That has led me to an important question, "Could the simple act of drumming and moving also help us maintain some of the physical capabilities that become increasingly important as we age?"
Why does grip strength matter?
Grip strength sounds like a very specific measure. In reality, it can tell us something much broader about physical capability. It is normally measured using a handheld dynamometer, which records how much force someone can generate when they squeeze it.
Research has repeatedly found associations between lower grip strength and poorer health outcomes. A major systematic review and meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) examined physical capability and subsequent mortality across tens of thousands of participants. Higher grip strength was associated with lower subsequent mortality.
That does not mean having a strong handshake will make you live longer. Grip strength is better thought of as a useful marker, one small measurement that can provide information about wider muscular strength and physical resilience. That distinction matters.
Rather than chasing longevity as simply “living for longer”, I am far more interested in how we help people remain capable, independent, socially connected and engaged in life for as long as possible.
The Drums4Health connection
When I first developed Drums4Health, grip strength wasn't at the front of my mind. My background spans music, education and fitness, and I was fascinated by what happens when we bring rhythmic learning and physical movement together.
Drums4Health combines repeated drumming patterns with movement in an inclusive session that can be completed standing or seated. Participants aren't expected to be musicians, and they don't need to think of themselves as particularly fit. They simply move, drum, learn and connect.
But the more sessions I delivered, particularly with older participants, the more I started looking beyond the obvious cardiovascular and wellbeing elements.
Think about what the hands are doing during a drumming session. They are holding and controlling the sticks, repeatedly striking the drum, adjusting force and direction, coordinating left and right hands, changing rhythmic patterns and responding to movement and music. The wrists and forearms are continually involved too.
That doesn't mean I can currently claim that Drums4Health increases grip strength. We haven't completed that research yet, but it gives us a very interesting question to investigate.
Why everyday hand strength matters
The importance of our hands becomes very obvious when we think about daily life, opening a jar, carrying shopping, preparing food, holding a handrail, gardening, turning a key, picking something up and getting dressed.
These aren't athletic achievements. They're ordinary actions that contribute to independence and perhaps that's one of the problems with the way we sometimes talk about fitness and ageing.
Exercise can become associated with gyms, sportswear, weights and structured workouts. For some people, particularly those who haven't exercised for years or who live with mobility limitations, that can feel like a world they don't belong in.
I wanted Drums4Health to feel different. People can participate seated or standing. Movements can be adapted. Intensity can change from person to person.
Instead of concentrating on completing repetitions, participants are concentrating on rhythm, learning a pattern and joining in with everyone around them. The exercise is still happening. It just doesn't necessarily feel like exercise.
Movement plus rhythm gives the brain something to do too
The hands are only one part of this story. One of the reasons I became so fascinated with drumming and movement was the cognitive challenge involved.
Learning a rhythmic pattern requires attention, timing, coordination and memory. Add movement, and you are asking the brain and body to work together.
Research into rhythmic movement in older adults is encouraging. A systematic review and meta-analysis involving 44 randomised controlled trials across 20 countries examined activities including music-based exercise, dance and drumming. The researchers reported improvements in physical function, global cognition and quality of life.
That combination is particularly interesting to me. Why should we always separate physical health, brain health and social wellbeing into different activities?
Perhaps some of the most useful approaches to healthy ageing are the ones that allow us to work on several things at once.
There is another ingredient we shouldn't overlook: Connection
There is something very powerful about a group of people drumming together. People look at one another. They laugh when a pattern goes wrong. They concentrate together. They hear themselves contributing to something bigger than their individual sound.
I've watched people arrive at sessions unsure of themselves and gradually become part of the group. For me, that matters just as much as the movement.
If we want people to remain active throughout their lives, we have to create activities they actually want to return to. The theoretically “perfect” exercise isn't much use if somebody hates doing it.
Enjoyment, belonging and connection aren't optional extras. They can be part of what keeps people coming back.
Now I want to measure what is happening
This is where the next stage of Drums4Health becomes particularly exciting for me.
As we grow and work increasingly with older adults, dementia organisations, community groups, schools and research partners, I don't simply want to say something works because people tell me they feel better. Their experiences matter enormously, but I also want evidence.
Grip strength is one of the measures I am particularly interested in exploring. Could we measure participants' grip strength before and after a period of regular Drums4Health sessions? Could we look at changes alongside measures of mobility, coordination, wellbeing or cognitive engagement? Could the benefits differ between people participating seated and standing? And could we identify which elements of rhythmic movement create the greatest benefit?
These are questions, not claims, but they are questions worth asking.
Healthy ageing shouldn't start when we're old
Perhaps the biggest lesson for me is that healthy ageing shouldn't suddenly become important when somebody reaches 70 or 80. The capabilities we want later in life are worth supporting much earlier.
Strength, mobility, coordination, cognitive challenge and social connection. These things matter across generations.
That is why I am increasingly passionate about creating something that isn't labelled an “older person's activity”.
At Drums4Health sessions, people of different ages and physical abilities can participate alongside each other. Someone may drum seated while the person next to them completes a much larger range of movement. Both are part of the same experience.
That inclusivity is fundamental to what I want Drums4Health to become.
Perhaps longevity isn't really about adding years
When people talk about longevity, the conversation can quickly become dominated by supplements, technology, expensive treatments and ways to extend lifespan. I'm interested in something much simpler.
How do we help people keep doing the things that make life feel like life? How do we maintain enough strength to remain independent? How do we keep challenging our brains? How do we keep moving? How do we make sure we're still connecting with other people while we do it?
I don't believe drumming is a magic answer to longevity. But perhaps the future of healthy ageing doesn't always have to look clinical or complicated.
Sometimes it might look like a room full of people holding drumsticks, learning something new, moving their bodies, challenging their brains and laughing together while they do it.
That is what I want Drums4Health to continue exploring.
Move, drum, connect
Drums4Health is an inclusive rhythm and movement wellbeing programme created by Tamsin Ward, combining physical movement, rhythmic learning and social connection. Sessions can be adapted for seated or standing participation and are being developed across community, education and wellbeing settings.
As Drums4Health grows, we are particularly interested in partnerships with organisations and researchers who want to explore measurable outcomes around healthy ageing, physical function, brain health and wellbeing.
Read more from Tamsin Ward
Tamsin Ward, Founder of Drums4Health
Tamsin Ward is a former music teacher and headteacher, a qualified Personal Trainer, and holds a Master’s in Education. She founded Drums4Health to harness the combined power of movement and rhythm in supporting physical and brain health. With regular classes growing rapidly in popularity, Drums4Health is now expanding across the UK as an innovative and inclusive approach to wellbeing. You can contact her directly here.
