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Int J Sports Med 2012; 33(06): 452-458
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1301889
Training & Testing
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Force Normalization in Paraplegics

P. Serra-Añó
1   Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
,
X. García-Massó
2   Department of Physical Education and Sports, Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
,
M. Pellicer
2   Department of Physical Education and Sports, Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
,
L.-M. González
2   Department of Physical Education and Sports, Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
,
J. López-Pascual
3   Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
,
M. Giner-Pascual
4   Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Spinal Cord Injury Unit), University Hospital ‘La Fe’, Valencia, Spain
,
J. L. Toca-Herrera
5   Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences-BOKU, Vienna, Austria
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accepted after revision 30. Dezember 2011

Publikationsdatum:
29. Februar 2012 (online)

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Abstract

The principal aim of our study was the determination of the effectiveness of a standardized ratio, allometric scaling model and a gamma function model in normalizing the isometric torque data of spinal cord patients and healthy subjects. For this purpose we studied a sample of 21 healthy males and 23 spinal cord injury males. The experiment consisted of the measurement of the force of the upper limb movement executed by all the subjects. We also determined anthropometric variables with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The experimental data were analyzed with 3 force normalization methods. Our results indicate that the most important confounding variable was the fat free mass of the dominant upper limb (r>0.36, p<0.05). With the standardization by body mass and allometric scaling model, the normalized torque was influenced by body size variables. However, the normalized torque by the gamma function model was independent of body size measures. Paraplegics were weaker (p<0.05) in extension movements when the data were normalized by the gamma function model. In summary, this study shows that the gamma function model with fat free mass of the dominant upper limb was more effective than the standardized ratio in removing the influence of body size variables.

Key words

spinal cord injury - body size - muscle strength - shoulder
 

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