Body Constitution
Being a region almost devoid of adipose and muscle tissue, the circumference of the wrist provides useful information on the body constitution of the individual and on his morphology.
brevilinei
normolinei
long-limbed
For a more precise evaluation, the following equation is used
and the data obtained is compared with the references listed in the table.
Longline
Normolinea
Brevilinea
How is the wrist circumference measured?
The subject is standing, with the forearm bent at right angles and with the palm of the hand facing upwards; the musculature is relaxed.
The operator stands in front of the subject and places the tape measure immediately under the styloid processes of the radius and ulna (as shown in the figure) without excessively compressing the soft tissues.
N.B: use a flexible but inelastic metric cord.
Wrist circumference and ideal weight
The circumference of the wrist is used, together with the height, for an accurate calculation of the ideal weight.
Lanzola's formula, for example, uses height, gender, and wrist circumference to provide an estimate of an individual's ideal weight:
Men:
- wrist> 20 cm => weight = 75 x height (m) - 58.5
- wrist 16-20 cm => Weight = 75 x height (m) - 63.5
- wrist weight = 75 x height (m) - 69.0
Women
- wrist> 18cm => Weight = 68 x height (m) - 51.5
- wrist 14-18 cm => Weight = 68 x height (m) - 58.0
- wrist weight = 68 x height (m) - 61.0
Below is the form for automatic calculation
HEIGHT cm Sex Male Female Wrist circumference cm Weight kg IDEAL WEIGHT kg JUDGMENT
According to recent scientific insights, the circumference of the wrist could somehow predict an individual's cardiovascular risk; in particular, some epidemiological studies have shown that a higher than normal wrist circumference determines an increase in cardiovascular risk and of developing type II diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance (also in children).