Kj. Winegard et al., RELIABILITY OF MEASURING VOLUNTARY STRENGTH AND ISOMETRIC TWITCH PROPERTIES IN THE ANKLE MUSCLES OF VERY OLD ADULTS, Journal of aging and physical activity, 6(3), 1998, pp. 222-231
The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of measuring v
oluntary isometric strength, evoked isometric twitch properties (peal:
torque, time to peak torque, half-relaxation time), M-wave amplitude,
and passive tension in very old adults (73-92 years). I;ive male and
5 female subjects were tested on two different test occasions that wer
e 1 week apart. Using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) met
hod, the mean reliability coefficient of all measurements on the dorsi
flexor (DF) and plantar flexor (PF) muscle groups was .91+/-.05. Simil
ar ICC values were found for DI; and PF muscles (.92 +/-.04 and .90+/-
.05, respectively). Resting PF half-relaxation time was the least reli
able measure, with an ICC value of.80, while maximum voluntary strengt
h was the most reliable with ICC values of.98 for DF and.97 for PF. Th
e variation ranged from 0.2 to 12.3%. It was concluded that ankle musc
le function (both voluntary and evoked) can be reliably assessed in th
is very old age group.