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Muscle function assessment in children
1Department of Movement Science and Physical Education, University of Liverpool, England, UK. maj501@liverpool.ac.uk
Insights
Assessing children's muscle function requires more research. Current methods lack proven validity and reliability for pediatric use, necessitating further investigation and standardization.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Science
- Clinical Biomechanics
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Muscle function assessment is crucial in various fields like rehabilitation and sports training.
- While extensively studied in adults, objective methods for assessing muscle function in children are less understood.
- Paediatric muscle function assessment is vital for evaluating weakness, fatigability, and training program effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically analyze objective methods for assessing paediatric muscle function.
- To highlight the issues of applicability, validity, and reliability in pediatric muscle function tests.
- To identify optimal procedures and areas for future research in child muscle function assessment.
Main Methods:
- Review of objective muscle function assessment methods including isokinetic dynamometry, hand-held dynamometry, field tests, and standard weights equipment.
- Critical analysis of each method's applicability, validity, and reliability in the pediatric population.
- Examination of methodological limitations affecting pediatric muscle function tests.
Main Results:
- Existing muscle function assessment methods for children have limitations.
- Limited and equivocal research exists on the validity and reliability of current pediatric assessment procedures.
- Factors like activation type/speed, standardization, familiarization, gravity, size, and psychological influences can confound results.
Conclusions:
- Paediatric muscle function assessment requires substantial further investigation.
- There is a need to identify and implement the most valid and reliable methods for assessing children's muscle function.
- Standardization and further research are crucial for accurate pediatric muscle function evaluation.
Abstract:
Assessment of muscle function has a range of applications, including appraisal of the presence and severity of muscle weakness and fatigability, examination of the effectiveness of intervention programmes and development and monitoring of training programmes. Muscle function assessment is routinely performed in rehabilitation, physical education, coaching and research. Procedures have been extensively examined in adults, but not in children. The aim of this review is to bring to the forefront the issue of paediatric muscle function assessment. Objective methods of muscle function assessment are critically analysed with specific attention to the issues of applicability, validity and reliability. Each of the methods reviewed (isokinetic dynamometry, hand-held dynamometry, field tests, and standard weights equipment) has its limitations. All procedures have been occasionally studied for validity and reliability and optimal procedures have yet to be identified. Methodological limits can be generalized to the type and speed of activation, standardization of procedures, subject familiarization, gravity and size and psychological influences. It is important for administrators of muscle function tests to be aware of the various factors that can both influence and confound interpretation. It was concluded that muscle function assessment in children requires significant further investigation. Although there is a wide range of procedures available, there is limited and equivocal research proving validity and reliability. Widespread use of the most valid and reliable methods is encouraged. Future research directions are also considered.