Dynamometry of the knee extensors; isometric and isokinetic testing in healthy subjects and patients

In rehabilitation medicine one is concerned with the consequences of diseases, congenital deformations and trauma. On the level of functions and structures the consequences consist of impairments of muscle strength, sensibility, co-ordination, etc. These impairments may cause disabilities like restricted ambulation, problems with self-care, etc. In rehabilitation one feels a need to measure the impairments in a reliable way, in order to assess the effects of certain training programmes or to registrate the course of a chronic disease objectively. The tests used to measure the impairment have to be reliable. The variability of a test is a usefull indication of the reliability. Furthermore, a test has to be valid, i.e. the test measures what it is supposed to measure. The validity of a test becomes acceptable if there is a relationship between the impairment itself and the consequences on the functional level. The object of this thesis is the testing of muscle strength of the knee extensors in healthy subjects and in patients