Stroke-related effects on maximal dynamic hip flexor fatigability and functional implications
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Published on: January 29, 2016
Henry R Kuhnen1, Megan M Rybar, Tanya Onushko
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Introduction:
Stroke-related changes in maximal dynamic hip flexor muscle fatigability may be more relevant functionally than isometric hip flexor fatigability.
Methods:
Ten chronic stroke survivors performed 5 sets of 30 hip flexion maximal dynamic voluntary contractions (MDVC). A maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC) was performed before and after completion of the dynamic contractions. Both the paretic and nonparetic legs were tested.
Results:
Reduction in hip flexion MDVC torque in the paretic leg (44.7%) was larger than the nonparetic leg (31.7%). The paretic leg had a larger reduction in rectus femoris EMG (28.9%) between the first and last set of MDVCs than the nonparetic leg (7.4%). Reduction in paretic leg MDVC torque was correlated with self-selected walking speed (r2=0.43), while reduction in MIVC torque was not (r2=0.11).
Conclusions:
Reductions in maximal dynamic torque of paretic hip flexors may be a better predictor of walking function than reductions in maximal isometric contractions.
