Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 14, 2025
12:59
Improving Strength, Power, Muscle Aerobic Capacity, and Glucose Tolerance through Short-term Progressive Strength Training Among Elderly People
Published on: July 5, 2017
12.8K
Establishing Reference Values for Isometric Knee Extension and Flexion Strength
Nejc Šarabon1,2,3,4, Žiga Kozinc1,2, Mihael Perman5,6
1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Izola, Slovenia.
Frontiers in Physiology
|November 1, 2021
Summary
This study provides crucial reference values for knee strength, essential for strength training and physical therapy. It highlights consistent differences in knee extension and flexion strength across genders and age groups.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology
- Musculoskeletal Health and Rehabilitation
Background:
- Single-joint knee strength assessment is vital for sports performance, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.
- Existing literature lacks comprehensive, absolute reference values for isometric and isokinetic knee strength.
- Establishing normative data is critical for accurate strength and conditioning programming and injury recovery assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze existing studies to establish reference values for isometric knee strength.
- To provide body-mass-normalized strength values across different knee angles, genders, and age groups.
- To address the gap in the literature regarding absolute reference values for knee strength assessment.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed and PEDro databases for studies published up to December 2019.
- Inclusion of studies measuring isometric knee extension and/or flexion in diverse populations (genders, ages).
- Meta-analysis of data from 411 studies involving 13,893 participants, with data normalized to body mass and grouped by knee angle.
Main Results:
- Established pooled confidence intervals for knee extension and flexion strength in adult males and females across extended, mid-range, and flexed knee angles.
- Demonstrated consistently lower knee strength values in adult females compared to adult males.
- Observed significantly lower knee strength in older adults compared to younger adult populations for both extension and flexion.
Conclusions:
- The study provides the first comprehensive set of reference values for isometric knee strength, crucial for clinical and athletic applications.
- Significant differences in knee strength exist based on gender and age, necessitating tailored strength and rehabilitation programs.
- Reliable normative data for athletes could not be determined due to insufficient sport-specific studies.
