Functioning of patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP)

Although patients with Chronic Idiopathic Axonal Polyneuropathy (CIAP) report a slow deterioration of sensory and motor functions, the impact of this deterioration on daily functioning has not yet been investigated in detail. The first aim of this crosssectional study involving 56 patients with CIAP was, therefore, to assess patients’ functioning with use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The second aim was to find determinants of walking ability, dexterity, and autonomy. Fatigue and limited walking ability were present in most patients and differed considerably. In regression models, age, muscle strength, and fatigue together explained 63% of the variance in walking ability, which by itself explained almost 50% of the variance in patients’ autonomy indoors and outdoors (42% and 49%, respectively). Muscle strength and sensory function scores together explained 30% of the variance in dexterity scores, which in turn explained only 13% of the variance in autonomy indoors. The diminished autonomy of patients with CIAP might be improved by reducing fatigue, by means of training, and by improving walking ability

The relationship between concentric hip abductor strength and the performance of the Y-balance test (YBT)

Side lying hip abduction is an action used during manual muscle testing and is also prescribed as a rehabilitation exercise to improve dynamic single leg stability. Little is known about the functional cross-over of this activity. The aims of this study was to investigate the relationship between concentric hip abductor strength and performance of the Y-Balance test (YBT). Forty-five recreational gym users (27 male age 26.2 (8.4) years, 18 female age 27.4 (7.5) years) had dynamic single leg stability and concentric hip abductor peak torque assessed in the non-dominant limb using a YBT and isokinetic dynamometry, respectively. All components of the YBT had a moderate association with concentric hip abductor torque which were greater in the posteromedial (r=0.574, P<0.001) and posterolateral (r=0.657, P<0.001) directions compared to the anterior direction (r=0.402, P=0.006). Greater concentric hip abductor strength is associated with greater scores on components of the YBT, particularly the posterior reaches

Correlation of isokinetic and novel hand-held dynamometry measures of knee flexion and extension strength testing

Objectives: Describe inter-rater reliability of, and correlations between a novel method of isometric knee extension and flexion and eccentric knee flexion strength using hand-held dynamometry and isokinetic testing for flexion/extension in the knees of athletic participants. Document strength data normalized to the individual's limb muscle mass. Design: Observational and reliability study. Methods: Inter-rater reliability for each of the hand-held dynamometry measures was established in both legs of 10 volunteers (6 male). During routine annual screening, 216 male professional football (soccer) players were examined using these same measures in addition to performing an isokinetic evaluation of knee flexion and extension strength. Intra-class correlation coefficients for inter-rater reliability, Pearson r correlations between hand-held dynamometry and isokinetic dynamometry were calculated. Peak torque, peak torque normalized to: body weight; lean body mass; and lean limb mass were documented. Results: Excellent inter-rater reliability was demonstrated with intra-class correlation(2,1) values of 0.90, 0.91, and 0.96, for the eccentric hamstrings, isometric hamstrings, and isometric quadriceps measures respectively. Medium to high correlations (r=0.322-0.617) which were all significant (p<0.001) were found for the comparisons between the hand-held dynamometry and isokinetic measures. Conclusions: We present 3 novel and reliable methods of examining knee flexion and extension strength using hand-held dynamometry which require less skill and strength on the part of the examiner than previous measures. Correlations between these measures and isokinetic dynamometry are documented. The hand-held dynamometry examinations took less than 4. min per player to conduct and may be useful in clinical practice where isokinetic examination can be difficult to implement. © 2012 Sports Medicine Australia