Muscle function assessment in children

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.