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Alvarenga G.1, dos Santos Alves V.L.1, Cazarini Junior C.1, Cardoso Martinez E.2, Dan Kiyomoto H.3, Cavalli Polesello G.4
1Faculdade de Ciencias Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, Physical Therapy, São Paulo, Brazil, 2Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas de São Paulo, Physical Therapy Course, São Paulo, Brazil, 3Universidade São Judas Tadeu, Physical Therapy Course, São Paulo, Brazil, 4Faculdade de Ciencias Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, São Paulo, Brazil
Background: The literature reports different methods of assessing muscle force. Hand-held dynamometry is a quantitative, accessible mean of determining isometric force of muscle groups. However, the major disparities in methods on positioning and on interpreting values have raised doubts over reproducibility.
Purpose: The objective of the present study was to determine values of hip muscle force in young women, with normal percentage of body weight.
Methods: A total of 52 women age 20-29 years, with no complaints of hip pain, sedentary or sporadically active, with BMI between 18.5 and 24.99 kg/m2 were included in the study. All participants were submitted to bilateral assessment using hand-held dynamometry for flexor, extensor, adductor, abductor, as well as internal and external rotator hip muscles. Absolute values were normalized according to body weight and expressed as percentages.
Results: Flexor muscles exhibited isometric muscle force of 38.54% (37.06 40.02%) of body weight, extensor muscles the value of 27.04% (25.79 28.30%). The adductors exhibited a voluntary maximal isometric contraction of 16.89% (16.11 - 17.68%) and for abductors of 16.85% (16.03 - 17.66%) body weight. Finally, the external rotators presented 17.09% (16.12% - 18.07%) of body weight, and the internal rotators 23.82% (22.18 - 25.47%).
Conclusion(s): Standardization of isometric strength values according to body weight proved feasible. This result is important for clinical practice, allowing patterns of normality to be established and used as criteria for discharge, return to sport or assessment of the impact of injuries in terms of loss in muscle strength.
Implications: This study should prompt further analysis of other groups with different demographic profiles to those investigated, given that the potential of dynamometry normalized by body weight as an additional resource in clinical practice has been shown.
Funding acknowledgements: no funding
Topic: Musculoskeletal: lower limb
Ethics approval: Ethics committe of Faculdade de Ciencias médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
