•Muscle strength decline is a crucial factor for the course of sarcopenia in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. •There is a need to discuss the association between IBD and sarcopenia focusing not only on changes of muscle mass, but also on muscle strength. •A narrative review was conducted in order to present the set of factors with impact in both muscle strength and IBD. •Inflammation, reduced nutrient intake and malabsorption, changes in body composition and gut microbiota dysbiosis are most likely the main factors with impact on muscle strength in IBD patients. Inflammation, changes in nutrient absorption and gut dysbiosis are common conditions in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. These factors may lead to variations in macro- and micronutrients and, particularly, to an imbalance of protein metabolism, loss of muscle mass and development of sarcopenia. This narrative review aims to present the set of factors with impact in muscle strength and physical performance that may potentially mediate the relation between inflammatory bowel disease and sarcopenia. Studies that associated changes in muscle strength, sarcopenia and inflammatory bowel disease were selected through a literature search in databases Medline, Pubmed and Scielo using relevant keywords: muscle strength, physical performance, sarcopenia and inflammatory bowel disease. Chronic inflammation is currently reported as a determinant factor in the development of muscle atrophy in inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, strength decline in inflammatory bowel disease patients may be also influenced by changes in body composition and by gut dysbiosis. Measures of muscle strength and physical performance should be considered in the initial identification of sarcopenia, particularly in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, for a timely intervention can be provided. Presence of proinflammatory cytokines, high adiposity, malabsorption and consequent deficits of macro and micronutrients, loss of muscle mass, and gut dysbiosis may be the main factors with impact in muscle strength, that probably mediate the relation between inflammatory bowel disease and sarcopenia.