Rate of force development of upper and lower limbs in elderly women

• Published in: Motricidade Vol. 8; no. S2; p. 454
• Main Authors: Amaral, J F, Castro, E A, Mancini, M, Doimo, L A, Novo Junior, J M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: 01.01.2012
• ISSN: 1646-107X

This study aimed to analyze the rate of force development of upper and lower limbs by means of maximum isometric effort in older women practitioners of physical activity. The sample consisted of 22 women (68.9 plus or minus 6.3 years). Three attempts of maximum isometric effort were performed of the handgrip and knee extension, and the curve with the maximum strength in each test selected for analysis, using an algorithm developed in Matlab registered language. The parameters identified were: maximum force, time required to achieve the strength, maximum rate of force development and rates related to the time intervals of 0-50, 0-100, 0-150, 0-200 and 0-250 ms. To verify the possible differences between the variables related to upper and lower limbs was applied Student's t test for dependent samples for data with normal distribution, while for those who violated this condition was applied the Wilcoxon test. The level of significance was p < .05. The results of this study show similar values of variables related to strength development for both members, but the data suggest a more pronounced decline in the lower limbs due to the aging process.