Neuromuscular disorders are characterised by progressive muscle weakness, which in time causes functional impairment. To quantify the extent of disease progression, muscle force and functional ability can be measured. Which of these parameters changes most depends on the disease stage. In a previous study, we reported normal values for muscle force obtained by hand-held dynamometry in healthy c...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of rituximab on disease activity and muscle strength in patients with inflammatory myopathies refractory to conventional therapy. METHODS; Thirteen patients were treated with rituximab 1000 mg i.v., twice, with a 2-week interval and followed for a median of 27 months. Primary outcomes were disease activity measured by creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydr...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and objective isokinetic dynamometry on a cohort of patients with chronic insertional Achilles tendinosis, who underwent surgical reconstruction using an FHL tendon autograft transfer through a single incision. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty patients (16 male and 24 female; mean age, 57 years; age range, 39 to 76 years) w...

In the present study, the in vivo force-length relations of the human soleus (SOL) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were estimated. Measurements were taken in six men at ankle angles from 30 degrees of dorsiflexion to 45 degrees of plantarflexion in steps of 15 degrees, and involved dynamometry, electrical stimulation, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). For each muscle and ...

INTRODUCTION Sarcopenia is characterized by a progressive and generalized decrease of strength and muscle mass. Muscle mass loss is prevalent in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a result of both the disease and aging. Some methods have been proposed to assess body composition (and therefore identify muscle mass loss) in this population. Despite the high accuracy of ...

OBJECTIVE To determine test-retest and inter-rater reliability of hand-held dynamometry when used to measure knee--extensor strength in patients with advanced cancer. SUBJECTS Adults with metastatic or locally advanced cancer recruited from palliative care services to a study of the risk factors for falls. METHODS Consecutive recruits (n = 30) underwent repeat testing after an interval of 1...

[Purpose] To compare the effects of two physiotherapy protocols for chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis. [Subjects and Methods] This is a prospective, randomized study, in chronic kidney disease patients 18 years of age or older on dialysis. Sessions for each group (were conducted three times per week for a total of 10 sessions), during hemodialysis. Respiratory muscle strength (maximal...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A new method of dynamometry has been developed to measure the performance of the craniocervical (CC) flexor muscles by recording the torque that these muscles exert on the cranium around the CC junction. This report describes the method, the specifications of the instrument, and the preliminary reliability data. SUBJECTS AND METHODS For the reliability study, 20 subject...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there is any synergistic effect in the administration of intraarticular steroids with distension in the management of early capsulitis of the shoulder. DESIGN Prospective randomised trial of three treatments--namely distension only, steroid only, and steroid with distension. SETTING Academic department of orthopaedic and accident surgery at Queen's Medical Cen...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the functional outcome among patients with distal biceps injuries who were operated using the Mayo mini-double route technique, with a minimum follow-up of six months after surgery, through digital isokinetic dynamometry, goniometry and subjective scores in order to establish objective and subjective improvement patterns and discuss the effectiveness of the procedure. ME...