Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026
Standing Neurophysiological Assessment of Lower Extremity Muscles Post-Stroke
Published on: July 26, 2021
Association of activity limitations and lower-limb explosive extensor power in ambulatory people with stroke
David H Saunders1, Carolyn A Greig, Archie Young
1Department of Physical Education, Sport and Leisure Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Dave.Saunders@ed.ac.uk
Objective:
To determine whether the explosive lower-limb extensor power of the affected and unaffected sides, and any asymmetry, are associated with activity limitations after stroke.
Design:
Cross-sectional observational study of baseline data from a randomized controlled trial.
Setting:
Measurements made in a hospital clinical research facility.
Participants:
Community-dwelling (N=66) subjects with stroke who were independently ambulatory. Subjects' mean age was 72+/-10 years.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
The lower-limb extensor power of each lower limb (in W/kg), performance of specific functional activities (comfortable walking velocity, Functional Reach Test, chair-rise time, Timed Up & Go test), and global indices of activity limitation (FIM instrument, Rivermead Mobility Index, Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living).
Results:
Low lower-limb extensor power in either lower limb was the principal factor from among the confounders we recorded that significantly (R(2) range, .21-.46) predicted the limitation of specific functional activities, and low lower-limb extensor power in either lower limb was the principal predictive factor for global indices of activity limitation (R(2) range, .13-.38). The degree of asymmetry of lower-limb extensor power between legs was low and had little or no predictive value.
Conclusions:
In ambulatory persons with stroke, activity limitations are associated with deficits in lower-limb extensor power of both lower limbs, and not the severity of any residual asymmetry. These findings suggest that interventions to increase lower-limb extensor power in both lower limbs might reduce activity limitations after stroke.
