Developing normalized strength scores for neuromuscular research
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
Muscle Imbalances: Testing and Training Functional Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Athletic Populations
Published on: May 1, 2018
Patricia L Andres1, Robert English, Michelle Mendoza
1Neurology Clinical Trials Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Room 2274, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA. pandres1@partners.org
Introduction:
The Accurate Test of Limb Isometric Strength (ATLIS) device can reliably measure the strength of 12 muscle groups using a fixed load cell. The purpose of this study was to analyze ATLIS data from healthy adults to calculate an individual's predicted strength scores.
Methods:
ATLIS data were collected from 432 healthy adults. Linear regression models were developed to predict each muscle group's strength. The R-squared statistic assessed variability accounted for by the models.
Results:
Simple main effects models stratified by gender were used to establish regression equations for each muscle using factors of age, weight, and height.
Conclusions:
Normalizing raw strength scores controls for biometric factors, thus enabling meaningful comparisons between subjects and allowing each muscle to contribute equally to a summary score. Normalized scores are easily interpreted for broad clinical uses, and derived summary scores establish individuals' disease progression rates using a common scale, allowing for more efficient clinical trials.
