This study quantified the effects of an aquatic exercise program on muscular strength, endurance, work, and power of patients with multiple sclerosis. Ten individuals with a mean age of 40 years participated in a 10-week aquatic exercise program. Two types of isokinetic dynamometers were used to assess the muscular variables studied. A Cybex II dynamometer was used to measure peak torque, work, and fatigue in the knee flexor and extensor muscles and a biokinetic swim bench was used to measure muscular force, work, fatigue, and power in the upper extremities. Five velocity settings were selected for each of three testing trials (pretrial, midtrial, and posttrial). For the lower extremities, analysis of variance indicated a significant improvement of peak torque for knee extensor muscles from the pretrial to midtrial (p less than .05). Peak torque values from pretrial to midtrial for knee flexors and from midtrial to posttrial for both the knee extensor and flexor muscles indicated a nonsignificant difference at each velocity studied. Fatigue and work values in the lower extremities improved significantly between the pretrial and posttrial (p less than .05). For the upper extremities, an analysis of variance indicated a significant increase in all force measurements from pretrial to posttrial (p less than .05). Power and total work values also improved significantly (p less than .05). No significant difference in fatigue measurements for the upper extremities was found. The results of this investigation indicated that an aquatic exercise program may induce positive changes in muscular strength, fatigue, work, and power in patients with multiple sclerosis.
This study was designed to 1) determine whether isokinetic dynamometry is appropriate and safe for ambulatory patients with multiple sclerosis and 2) describe the idiosyncrasies the patients with multiple sclerosis exhibited during testing. Ten patients with multiple sclerosis and 20 healthy subjects were matched for age, sex, and weight. The isokinetic peak torque and endurance measurements of knee extensor and knee flexor muscles were recorded at selected angular velocities ranging from 0 to 275 degrees/sec and extensor:flexor muscle strength ratios were calculated. Statistical analysis (t tests) revealed that both the extensor and flexor muscle peak torque values for patients with multiple sclerosis were significantly lower than those for healthy subjects at all angular velocities (p less than .005 to p less than .001), and yet were similar in shape and slope. Mean extensor:flexor ratios for healthy subjects and for patients with multiple sclerosis were not significantly different at 70, 190, and 230 degrees/sec. Individual chart recordings identified any contractile difficulties or increased contraction time. Isokinetic testing is judged to be a safe and reliable form of objective neuromuscular testing for ambulatory patients with multiple sclerosis.
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