Effect of Body Position on Knee Flexor Peak and Average Torques

• Published in: Rihabiritēshon igaku Vol. 33; no. 4; pp. 237 - 241
• Main Authors: LIU, Meigen, CHINO, Naoichi, ARITA, Motohide
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine 1996
• Subjects: body position; isokinetic; knee flexors; reproducibility
• ISSN: 0034-351X; 1880-778X
• DOI: 10.2490/jjrm1963.33.237

We evaluated the effect of body position (seated, supine and prone) on knee flexor muscle strength. Ten healthy women (mean age; 21yr) performed isokinetic knee movement on a KIN/COMTR dynamometer. The parameters recorded were peak torques (PT) and average torques (AT) during concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) contraction at 60°/sec on each position. ECC torques were significantly greater than CON torques. CON AT and ECC AT on seated position were significantly larger than on prone and supine. Seated CON and ECC PT were also the largest. ECC/CON ratios were not significantly different among the three positions, indicating that body position had similar effects on CON and ECC torque production. Knee flexor torques on seated and prone were measured in one subject once a week for 8 weeks. Coefficients of variation of 8 measurements on both positions were comparable. In conclusion, seated position is a position that produces the highest torques with acceptable reliability, and because of ease of positioning, is recommended for routine clinical use.