DIFFERENCES IN QUADRICEPS MUSCLE STRENGTH IN YOUNG ADULTS USING HANDHELD DYNAMOMETER WITH AND WITHOUT FIXATION AT 45° AND 90° KNEE ANGLES

Muscle Strength and Dynamometry

Abstract

Assessing muscle strength (MS) using handheld dynamometers is not only a cost-effective method but also effective for accurate diagnosis in the clinical setting. This study aimed to compare peak strength differences when assessing the quadriceps muscle using a hand-held dynamometer, with and without fixation, in young adults at 45° and 90° knee angles. A sample of 14 young adults, 7 males and 7 females (mean age 22 ± 3 years) were recruited to have their quadriceps muscle strength assessed using a hand-held dynamometer (MicroFET 2) on the dominant limb at 45° knee angles with fixation; 45° knee angles without fixation; 90° knee angles with fixation; 90° knee angles without fixation. The software generated a randomized sequence to determine the order of assessment. The results obtained show that no significant differences were found between the 45° and 90° angles with and without fixation (p> 0.05); however, when comparing the 90° angle with the 45° angle, significant and superior differences were found for the 90° torque in both conditions (p< 0.022). The results of this study suggest that the peak muscular force generated by dynamometry with the knee at 90° is greater than that at 45° and that there are no significant differences in the peak force generated by dynamometry at 45° with and without fixation and at 90° with and without fixation.