A Systematic Review of Isokinetic Muscle Strength in a Healthy Population With Special Reference to Age and Gender.

CONTEXT: Despite increasing use of reference values in isokinetic measurements and increasing importance, there is no systematic review of the reference values for lower and upper limb isokinetic muscle strength. OBJECTIVE: A systematic review to analyze studies on the reference values and protocols for the measurement for upper and lower limb isokinetic muscle strength in an untrained and noninjured healthy population. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Scopus, Scielo, and CINAHL (from the earliest date available to June 2020). STUDY SELECTION: Studies that measured a set of reference values for isokinetic muscle strength. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers selected studies independently. Data related to participants characteristics, outcomes of interest, isokinetic parameters, reference values for isokinetic muscle strength, and quality of evidence assessment were systematically reviewed independently by 2 authors. RESULTS: A total of 31 studies met the study criteria. The included studies were used to synthesize the isokinetic muscle strength data according to age-group and sex. We extracted 1845 normative data related to isokinetic strength. Of these, 1181 items referred to lower limbs and 664 items to upper limbs. CONCLUSION: In general, agonist muscle groups are stronger than antagonist muscles, and the men tend to obtain higher strength values than women. The angular velocity varied from 10 to 300 deg/s. The reference values identified can be useful for professionals to obtain during the isokinetic evaluation of the diagnostic parameters of muscle deficiency.

Water-Based Exercise on Functioning and Quality of Life in Poststroke Persons: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of water-based exercise on functioning and quality of life in poststroke persons. DATA SOURCES: We searched the following electronic database: MEDLINE, PeDro, Scielo, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to September 2018 Study Selection: Only randomized controlled trials were included. Two review authors screened the titles and abstracts and selected the trials independently. DATA EXTRACTION: Two review authors independently extracted data of the included trials, using standard data-extraction model. We analyzed the pooled results using weighted mean differences, and standardized mean difference and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. DATA SYNTHESIS: Twenty-four studies met the study criteria, but only 15 studies were included on meta-analyses. The studies presented moderate methodological quality, due to the lack of blinding of subjects and therapists and the nonperformance of the intention-to-treat analysis. Water-based exercise compared with land exercise had a positive impact on: muscle strength balance gait speed and mobility aerobic capacity and functional reach. Combined water-based exercise and land exercise was more effective than land exercise for improving balance, gait speed, and functional reach. The meta-analysis showed significant improvement in role limitations due to physical functioning and emotional problems, in vitality general mental health, social functioning, and bodily pain for participants in the water-based exercise and land exercise group versus land exercise group. CONCLUSIONS: Water-based exercise may improve muscle strength, balance, mobility, aerobic capacity, functional reach, joint position sense, and quality of life in poststroke persons and could be considered for inclusion in rehabilitation programs.